There were plenty of smiles — and even cheers at Maxfield Elementary School — as the teacher’s union and St. Paul Public Schools announced a tentative deal.

“I am very excited about it. It was hard work,” declared Shanaz Padamsee, who teaches students about Internet learning. “You don’t want to strike, you want to be there for our students, that’s the whole point.”

The sides had been bargaining for months, but talks ramped up after 92% of the union’s teachers, educational assistants and school and community services personnel voted last month to authorize a strike.

The negotiations included about 40 hours of bargaining over the past weekend, including sessions that ended at 4:30 a.m. Saturday and 5:00 a.m. on Sunday. The talks continued on Monday.

“We are in a fight with you all,” added Halla Henderson, the Chair of the St. Paul School Board. “We’re in a fight to make sure we’re doing what we need to do to make sure the district has the resources to provide the education we need for our students.”

The agreement averts a strike by the St. Paul Federation of Educators(SPFE) that was scheduled to start next week.

That job action would’ve had a big impact on students and parents.

There would be no school for students from pre-K through the 12^th grade, no Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) or Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE).

Varsity athletics would continue, on a case-by-case basis, and the school year could’ve been extended into spring break or summer.

For the union’s nearly 3,700 members, the big issues included better wages, lower health insurance costs, more mental health teams and small class sizes.

“Our members here have been struggling, just as much of the community has been struggling under inflation, and seeing costs go up,” said Erica Schatzlein, the union’s lead negotiator. “These were the issues we talked about a lot.”

Neither side is discussing specifics of the deal, including salaries.

The district has said its budget would allow for a 2-3% wage increase in the first year, and 1.75% more in the second.

Superintendent Joe Gothard says SPPS still faces a $107 million budget gap.

“Our job at the negotiations table is to make sure we stay in the parameters that we set,” he noted. “It’s still a big deficit we’re working with, but part of that was planned.”

With a potential strike just days away, Gothard calls the settlement a success.

The union’s executive board is to discuss the deal on Wednesday; a ratification vote is expected sometime in the next couple of weeks.

The agreement will also need to be formally approved by the Board of Education. Padamsee says she’s relieved.

“It was a total roller-coaster because we didn’t know how things were going to shake out, but I was really happy,” she explained. “I think we worked well with the district, and it was a good experience.”

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