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Minneapolis Public Schools and its educators failed to seal a tentative deal on new contracts, and now, teachers and other licensed staff members will start voting Thursday on whether to authorize a strike. Tuesday’s mediation session between the district and union stretched 15 hours, ending just before midnight Wednesday as offers exchanged hands in the latest round of closed-door talks. The biggest sticking points are over class sizes, special-education caseloads and pay. “We’re not asking for the sun and the moon,” Catina Taylor, president of the chapter representing education support professionals (ESPs), said in a statement Wednesday announcing that a strike vote threatened for the first time last week would proceed. Union members will vote Thursday, Friday and Monday whether to authorize a strike, although, if approved, a walkout wouldn’t likely begin until November since a 15-day waiting period is required to let the two sides continue to negotiate. Another mediation session is also scheduled for Oct. 30. The district didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday, but in a statement last week, officials said “the district’s budget is tighter than ever due to the historic underfunding of public education and expenses outpacing our revenue.” The district added then that it hoped to reach an agreement that’s “fair, student-centered, and ensures the district can thrive even if there are state and federal funding cuts.” Minneapolis district and federation leaders agreed to the previous teachers contract just ahead of a strike-authorization vote in April 2024. That deal, which expired on June 30 of this year, gave the teachers their highest pay increase in 25 years.
