Minneapolis teacher’s union officials are in the process of finalizing a 'return to work agreement' Friday afternoon in hopes of resuming classes on Monday.
The MFT's Shaun Laden with the division that represents education support professionals says one area of the contract they're most pleased with involves job protection for teachers and staff of color.
“What that means is that if there are reductions in force that excludes those teachers specifically moving forward right now, from layoff and excessing, that is an important win,” Laden says. “And it's an important value that we brought to the table and we're able to figure out.
Excessing is the process of reducing staff due to budgetary reasons or changes in student population numbers.
MFT President Greta Callahan says despite the challenges to students, this is a process that was necessary for teachers and the students.
“We would not have been here without doing what we had to do,” Callahan said. “And that's also a reality that is unfortunate, that we had to do this in order to get some critical supports for our students.”
The deal includes salary increases, more mental health resources for students, and job protections for teachers of color. Teachers and district officials are now figuring out how to make up the lost student contact time, whether by adding days to the end of the school year or adding hours to the school day.
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