St. Paul Public Schools prevented a teacher strike early Monday morning with a contract agreement they say does not break the bank.
Union leaders say they secured needed supports for St. Paul’s most vulnerable students and a promise to work together with administration to pursue more revenue.
Details will be made public later this week, but Superintendent Joe Gothard said the total package agreed to after seven straight days of mediation is within the district’s spending target.
Last fall, Gothard and the school board said they could afford no more than $6.4 million over two years on new commitments through labor contracts. Of that amount, the teacher contract’s portion was $4.1 million.
The negotiations budget was enough to pay for 1 percent salary increases this school year and next, in addition to scheduled increases based on experience and education levels. But any other spending agreements the union insisted on were to come out of the salary pool.
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District negotiators evidently stuck to the plan.
“This will not contribute to the deficit,” Gothard said of Monday’s agreement. “The full package right now that we are continuing to vet is within the parameters that we had budgeted for our (2018-19) budget.”
FEW DETAILS MADE PUBLIC
Much of the negotiations were focused on nonsalary issues, such as class sizes for English learners and special-education students.
The union’s message to members Monday morning did not address pay or benefits. But it said they “won supports for our students, especially our English learners and our students who receive special education services. We defended our class size language and strengthened the commitment to restorative practices.”
District and union leaders discussed the deal in general terms during a Monday afternoon news conference, saying the school board and union members will review details before they are made public.
Monday’s agreement covers teachers, educational assistants and school and community service professionals. Union members likely will vote early next week, Faber said, followed by the school board.
TAX INCREASE A POSSIBILITY
During negotiations, the union proposed asking St. Paul voters for a property tax increase in November to boost school revenues. Asked Monday about that possibility, Gothard said he wouldn’t rule it out as a part of the strategic plan he’s working on.
“I don’t think anyone … has ruled out any opportunity we have to allow our students to have an excellent educational opportunity in SPPS,” he said.
The school board will publicly discuss next year’s budget for the first time at a meeting Tuesday night.
Gothard and union President Nick Faber indicated that coming out of negotiations, the two sides have committed to working together to pursue more revenue.
PATH FORWARD FOR DISTRICT
Gothard was present for most of the weekend’s negotiations, which ended with an agreement about 1 a.m. Monday and a meeting of the minds between each side’s leaders. Faber said he and Gothard spoke about the path forward for the district, which may include a student recruitment campaign to turn around declining enrollment.
“We are dedicated in working with our district and whoever else it takes to increase that funding so that our students can have the schools they deserve,” Faber said.
During negotiations and through public demonstrations, the union has been pressing for tax policy changes to push local corporations and nonprofits to give more money to St. Paul schools.
Gothard on Monday spoke of lobbying for more special-education funding.
“It was great to see that in the final hours (Monday) morning, the level of respect we had as a group was symbolic of how we’re going to move forward,” Gothard said.
