Negotiators plan to meet through the weekend in hopes of preventing the first St. Paul Federation of Teachers strike since 1946.
Monday will be the last day of school in the near future unless the two sides can come together on a number of issues affecting learning conditions in the district. Friday was the ninth day of mediation and teacher pay has yet to be discussed.
The teachers union sees its biennial contract negotiation as an opportunity to create “the schools St. Paul students deserve.” The district says the issues the union is interested in should be debated in public, not teacher contract talks.
Although the district has approved class size limits and agreed to hire more staff as part of past negotiations, this year the administration and school board have taken a harder line as they try to rein in spending amid declining enrollment.
Mediated negotiations are private but both sides have publicized the following issues as key to a new two-year deal:
CLASS SIZE
The district said class size ranges implemented in 2014 cost them $32 million on additional teachers and has hurt overall enrollment by lowering capacity at popular schools. They’ve looked to loosen those limits at schools with room to grow.
Teachers have proposed even smaller class sizes.
The district’s human resources director, Laurin Cathey, said Thursday they were closing in on an agreement that would save the district money.
SCHOOL STAFFING
During the two previous contract negotiations, the district has agreed to hire dozens of support staff, including counselors, social workers, nurses, school psychologists and librarians. The union made a similar proposal this time, calling for minimum student-to-staff ratios plus access to music and art teachers.
They’re also looking to reduce workloads for English learner and special education teachers.
According to a union statement Friday, the district thinks it can give English learner teachers a break by moving students more quickly into mainstream classrooms and training those teachers how to work with English-learning students.
The district has been plotting changes to its English learner programs since receiving a critical compliance review by the state Department of Education last school year.
RESTORATIVE PRACTICES
In 2016, the district and teachers partnered on a three-year school climate program that employs circle discussions and emphasizes repairing harm over punishment.
The union wants to see the district put more money into restorative practices and expand the number of participating schools. The district likes restorative practices but may not have the money to expand.
The union said Friday’s negotiation saw “significant positive movement” on the issue but an agreement was not reached.
NEW REVENUE
The district has said it can afford no more than $4.1 million in new spending on the two-year teacher contract, far less than recent contracts have cost.
To pay for union proposals, the teachers have proposed a property tax referendum in November. The district thinks it’s premature to ask residents for more money.
The union also wants the district to help them pressure large corporations and nonprofits into making voluntary payments to the schools. The district has said it’s willing to engage prospective donors as part of a committee.
The district this week dropped its proposal to join Q Comp, the state’s alternative compensation program, which could have brought $9.5 million in annual revenue if lawmakers were to authorize more spending.
WAGES
The union has proposed 2.5 percent pay raises this year and next, while the district has offered 1 percent raises, in addition to built-in increases for experience and advanced coursework.
St. Paul teachers made an average of $76,682 last year, more than any other district in the state. The average is $68,768 in Minneapolis and $68,092 in Anoka-Hennepin.
TEACHER QUALITY
The union said a tentative agreement was reached Thursday related to its proposal to keep partially licensed teachers out of high-poverty schools.
The district meanwhile has proposed making it easier to fire underperforming teachers, but they’re willing to drop it if the union shelves some of its own proposals, the union said.
THREE CONTRACTS
Besides some 3,100 teachers, the union is simultaneously negotiating contracts for 400 educational assistants and 170 school and community service professionals, who also have voted to strike.
