MINNEAPOLIS — Education union members say Minneapolis Public Schools can and needs to pay more if it wants to keep them.
Members of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers plan to release a new report Thursday morning detailing how they say the district’s reported budget shortfalls are exaggerated.
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.
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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%.