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Some parents question why teachers and district are at odds so soon after a 2022 strike. By Anthony Lonetree The Minnesota Star Tribune November 8, 2025 at 11:00AM Hundreds of people marched after rank-and-file members of the Minneapolis Federation of Educators voted to authorize a strike last month. (Renée Jones Schneider/The Minnesota Star Tribune) She backs the union’s contract requests and says students need the consistency and the enrichment opportunities that are part of each school day. “A strike can cause more inequity for those who need to go to school,” Meister said. “It can exacerbate the inequities of children from low-income homes.” Lara Bergman, a Montessori educator who ran unsuccessfully last year for the school board seat representing southwest Minneapolis, recalled speaking with a Linden Hills resident who had pulled her kids to go to Edina schools during the 2022 strike. “She told me, ‘It’s not much better (academically and programmatically), but at least I know the teachers won’t go on strike,’” Bergman wrote in a text message. Marcia Howard, president of Minneapolis Federation of Educators, leads a chant during a Minneapolis Federation of Educators rally Oct. 28. (Renée Jones Schneider/The Minnesota Star Tribune) Tapping parents for support MFPS members sat in on public bargaining sessions in the spring, and in the past three weeks members of the group contacted district leaders by the hundreds to implore them to accept proposals they believe “offer a vision for stabilizing our district and a clear road map to make public schools” the best choice for parents, said Laura Proescholdt, communications director for TakeAction Minnesota, a progressive political advocacy nonprofit that has teamed with MFPS. The group said four Minneapolis school board members — Abdul Abdi, Greta Callahan, Adriana Cerrillo and Joyner Emerick — signed its commitment to support demands for smaller class sizes and smaller special education and English language learner caseloads. Anthony Lonetree Reporter Anthony Lonetree has been covering St. Paul Public Schools and general K-12 issues for the Star Tribune since 2012-13. He began work in the paper's St. Paul bureau in 1987 and was the City Hall reporter for five years before moving to various education, public safety and suburban beats. See More
