St. Paul teachers’ union sets date for strike authorization vote
Members of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers will decide next week if they will authorize a strike against St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS).
A vote has been scheduled for the night of Thursday, Feb. 17.
Three different bargaining groups — teachers, educational assistants as well as school and community service professionals — are all scheduled to vote that day.
Officials say negotiations began last May between the union and district, and since then, union members say 23 proposals have been offered in four public sessions. In addition, the union says SPPS filed for mediation in November, and another eight meetings have been had since December.
Last month, the union requested multiple items for St. Paul Schools to act on during the surge of COVID-19 cases brought on by the omicron variant.
The union’s plan called for masks, COVID tests, contact tracing, maintaining a 10-day isolation period and metrics to shift to remote learning while taking into account staffing, substitutes and transportation.
Other items included in contract negotiations include:
- Fully staffed mental health team in each building
- Lowering class sizes
- Additional educators working with special needs students
- Increased pay to keep teachers and support staff
Thursday’s vote doesn’t mean the union will definitely go on strike if it is approved.
Following the vote, the union would also need to decide if a strike is necessary, and after that, set a date and let the district know.
According to state law, the union must give the district at least 10 days of notice before a strike can begin.
St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Joe Gothard said this afternoon that negotiations ‘remain unsettled’ and the district faces a $42.8 million budget shortfall due to declining enrollment.