In new report, Minneapolis teachers union claims district's budget problems are exaggerated
MINNEAPOLIS — Education union members say Minneapolis Public Schools can and needs to pay more if it wants to keep them.
The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers did a study on where Minneapolis Public Schools spending is going and the union is frustrated with the results.
MFT says one of MPS's main arguments during ongoing contract talks is its inability to pay educators more due to budget cuts.
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The union says MPS has projected a deficit each fall for the last five years, only to post a surplus the following summer.
It also says the district spends 16% of its budget on outside contracts, far outpacing the 11% average that similar districts spend.
MFT also says MPS has increased spending on administration and district support like human resources, legal and finance by 19% each over the past six years while cutting spending on instruction by 5%.
The union says if the district can reprioritize funding towards educators it will help fill open educator jobs, reducing turnover and shrinking class sizes.
"They need us to be able to be here, they need us in our classrooms, and the district continues to put us in a position where I can't be here for my students," said Amelia Marquez, an MPS educator.
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MFT says it has met with the district for 10 negotiation sessions. The union is looking for an 8.5% salary increase in the first year of the next contract and 7.5% in the second.
"We remain committed to negotiating a contract with MFT that recognizes the increased cost of living, while also being mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of our limited resources - the result of systemic underfunding of public education," MPS said in a statement. "In the future, it is imperative we begin bargaining sooner, including over the summer, to avoid bargaining during budget season. We tried to begin bargaining last summer but that invitation was declined by MFT."
You can read MPS' latest statement in full by clicking here, and the latest on negotiations by clicking here.
Click here to read MFT's full report.
Teachers speak out
Thursday morning, a group of unionized Minneapolis educators gathered outside Thomas Edison High School in northeast Minneapolis in an act of solidarity. This day marks seven months that these educators have worked under an expired contract.
Greta Callahan and Marcia Howard are the leaders of the teachers' chapter of the union. They say MPS is threatening to cut educators, and even close schools, because of a lack of money.
MFT said its study found that the money is there, but it's just being wrongly allocated.
"[MPS] is investing more at the top in district administrators and outside contracts and less in our students," said Callahan.
The last time the educators' union was in contract negotiations, it resulted in a two-week strike keeping more than 30,000 students away from the classroom. Since then, MFT leaders say 20% of Minneapolis educators have left for suburban districts.
"It makes MPS feel like a training ground for excellent teachers who do so well in other districts, instead of staying here and stabilizing ours," said Howard.
MPS says its district is facing at least a $90 million dollar deficit, and any raises given need to remain realistic.
"We're not in a fantasy world. We know that MPS is not flushed with cash, but we also know that they have an opportunity right now to make a change, stop spending all this money that's not going towards our kids and invest in them," said Callahan.
A similar battle just resolved in the largest public school district in the state. On Friday, Anoka-Hennepin schools reached a tentative agreement with their teachers' union after a long mediation session.