Minneapolis public school teachers and students returned to the classroom Tuesday after members of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers reached a tentative agreement with the Minneapolis School District, ending a nearly three-week strike.
The strike affected around 28,500 students and 4,500 teachers and educational support professionals. The MFT’s demands included higher wages, limits on class sizes and retention of educators of color.
“The conditions across this country and education for many years, especially in low income neighborhoods and neighborhoods of majority students of color, are not okay,” Sonia Núñez-Gibbs, a Roosevelt High School educational support professional, said. “The people that are keeping it humane are the staff, education support professionals, cafeteria workers and teachers… and if you don’t prioritize our mental health or our physical needs, there’s only so long that we can do that.”
Outside of Roosevelt High School, educators eagerly welcomed students back. Principal Christian Alberto Ledesma expressed gratitude that the new contract had strong developments in protecting educators of color.
“It provides a level of care for workers that they deserve and we all know when people are taken care of, they’re even more inclined to do great things,” Ledesma said.
While Roosevelt High School students were out of school during the strike, some staff in the district called students’ families to check in on what they needed. Ledesma emphasized that school is a place beyond academics, it is a place that gives students access to counselors, mental health professionals and food.
“I’m feeling a mix of emotions and I’m expecting the same for students,” health careers coordinator and teacher Kari Anderson Slade said. “I have to have my own kids at home that go to Minneapolis Public Schools, so I have been feeling it at home, too.”
MFT members and supporters gathered daily since the strike began on March 8. Throughout the strike, crowds marched to the school district headquarters and through downtown Minneapolis, and they rallied at the state capital and outside the Governor’s mansion. The Minneapolis strike has gained national attention but is not individual, as teachers strike in Sacramento City for a fifth school day.
The tentative agreement brings various improvements to the district. Educational support professionals will receive a $2 per hour raise with retroactive pay dating back to Nov. 1, 2021. Specific language has been implemented in contracts to exempt educators of color from layoffs. There will now be a minimum of one social worker in every Minneapolis public school building and a minimum of 0.5 licensed school nurses in every school. The tentative agreement will double the number of elementary schools with a school counselor.
“I am very thankful for solidarity, the community that was built and the support for our local community,” Anderson Slade said. “I hope in the end it really does turn out to be what we believe is a historic win. … We will no longer tolerate people doing awesome work in the schools for poverty wages.”
To make up for the 14 missed school days during the strike, 42 minutes will be added to the school day throughout the end of the year beginning on April 11. The school year will be extended to June 24 from June 10 to compensate for the missed days as well.
Angelica Franaschouk can be reached at fran8528@stthomas.edu.