Contract talks between St. Paul Public Schools and its teachers union are headed to mediation for a sixth consecutive bargaining cycle.
The district told employees Monday that it’s asked the state Bureau of Mediation Services to help with “the complicated process of negotiating three separate contracts” within the St. Paul Federation of Educations: those for teachers, educational assistants and school and community service professionals.
Since Joe Gothard became superintendent, the school board has set a limit every two years on how much it’s willing to spend on new contracts. However, the district broke that ceiling in March 2020 in order to end a teacher strike that cost students four days of school.
This time, the district has offered all bargaining units back-to-back pay increases of 1.5 percent in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The teachers union has asked for consecutive 2.5 percent raises, plus additional pay for educational assistants and higher health and retirement contributions.
Other union proposals include smaller class sizes and a pilot program that places “equity leads” at select schools to train colleagues on race and gender equity.
“With ongoing declines in enrollment and state funding that hasn’t kept up with inflation, SPPS simply cannot afford these proposals,” human resources director Kenyatta McCarty said in a letter to employees Monday.
Union negotiators are pressing the district to use some of its $207 million in federal coronavirus relief grants to increase teacher pay, as well as cover other union priorities.
“We have an opportunity to use those funds to make an investment in mental health supports, smaller class sizes, more multilingual staff, and retaining and recruiting more educators of color,” the union bargaining team said in a letter to members Tuesday.
Although grant money can be spent on teacher compensation, the money runs out in 2024, and the district already has had its spending plan approved by the Minnesota Department of Education.
The St. Paul district’s average teacher salary last year was the highest in the state, at $85,457, according to a report by the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board.
So far, state mediators have been asked to help with 22 contracts between school districts and teachers unions, 12 of which have reached tentative agreements, Commissioner Jan Johnson said.