The contract agreements that ended the three-week strike by Minneapolis teachers and support staff are now official after winning approval Tuesday from the school board.
Members of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, the union that represents both groups of employees, ratified the agreements in late March. At that time, school district officials called the tentative deals "fair and equitable," and union leaders characterized them as "historic agreements." In addition to raises for teachers and support staff, the contract includes class-size caps, protections for educators of color during layoffs, and a requirement for each school to have at least one social worker.
The 2021-2023 collective bargaining agreement for teachers includes at least a 2% salary increase in the first year of the contract followed by a 3% increase in the second year. According to the district, the cost of that contract is $58.18 million, representing a 13% increase in annual costs spread out over two years.
The agreement for the district's educational support professionals includes wage increases ranging from $1 to $4 an hour and $3,000 bonuses in both years. Those raises bring 85% of support staff to a wage of $23 an hour.
The wages of the lowest-paid support staff will increase to $18 an hour. According to the district, the cost of that contract totals $29 million, a 22.7% increase in annual costs across two years.
During the strike, the district pointed repeatedly to its projected budget shortfall, saying it could not afford all the union's requests. District leaders say the contracts widen that gap, requiring $27.1 million in cuts.
The district's budget woes are made worse by declining enrollment because fewer students means less money from the state, which doles out funding per pupil.
Individual school budgets have been changed to address enrollment decreases. And department budgets, including those at the central administrative office, will be cut by 5% for a total of $8 million in savings.
Union members picketed outside district headquarters before Tuesday's school board meeting to oppose the school budget cuts. Several students, parents, teachers and one school social worker also spoke out against cuts in staffing and programming, saying that cuts could drive more students and teachers out of the district.
"I know it's super popular to blame educators for the budget cuts," said Mary Manor, an English teacher at South High School. "We need to look at the budget, look at ourselves and the decisions we've been making and we need to make better decisions."
Summaries of the agreements are available on the district's website as a part of the school board agenda.
Union leaders also plan to hold a news conference Wednesday to discuss the "devastating effects the planned budget cuts will have on their students."
The school board also approved collective bargaining agreements with four other unions representing district employees, including food service workers.
