Minneapolis educators will vote this week on whether to authorize a strike, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and Education Support Professionals said in a news release Wednesday.
The planned strike vote follows months of negotiation. The union’s teacher chapter has been in mediation with the state Bureau of Mediation Services since February 29. Educational support professionals held their first mediation session with the district on Monday. It also comes as the district wrestles with a budget deficit of at least $110 million. Minneapolis Public Schools has said that additional funds to settle contracts would result in further budget cuts.
“I love working with my students and seeing them grow is incredibly rewarding, but I need to think about my own family too,” special education teacher Jose Rodriquez said in a statement. “When you see a colleague leave for another district and [they] received a $17,000 raise, you have to wonder if staying at MPS is fair to the people who rely on me.”