St. Paul educators balk at district’s demand for concessions

December 16, 2021 by

Educators line the sidewalk outside St. Anthony Park Elementary during a walk-in event highlighting their union’s student-centered contract priorities.

Less than two years after their historic strike drew thousands of supporters into the streets, St. Paul educators are back at the bargaining table, looking to defend and build on gains made in their last contract.

This morning educators were back outside their school buildings, too, showing unity and support for the student-centered priorities guiding their union in talks with the district.

“The students should always come first – always,” second-grade teacher Ruth Krider said before a “walk-in” event at St. Anthony Park Elementary.

That means keeping class sizes small, staffing mental health teams at every school, hiring and retaining more bilingual educators and educators of color, and providing more support and resources to special education teachers.

The St. Paul Federation of Educators calls it building the “schools St. Paul students deserve,” and educators have fought hard in recent rounds of bargaining to write benchmarks for student services into their union contract. An agreement to expand students’ access to mental-health supports was key to settling the strike in March 2020.

But union members say the district set out this year to take back many of those gains, including limits on class sizes and the hard-fought language around mental health. One proposal to eliminate a guarantee that students have access to recess time sparked a new chant outside St. Anthony Park this morning: “What do we want? Recess! When do we want it? Now!”

The district is demanding concessions from educators despite receiving over $200 million in American Rescue Plan funds.

Krider called it “disheartening” to see that kind of posturing from the district, particularly during a school year that many educators have described as their most difficult. In St. Paul, looming school closures have only added to the stress of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It feels like things are coming at us from all sides,” Krider said. “With negotiations on top of all that, it would be nice to feel like we could be trusted by the district, but staff are not being listened to.

“We feel like we’re moving backwards, almost. We fought hard, we had some gains, and now we’re feeling like we have to redo the whole thing.”

But SPFE members aren’t shying away from another fight with the district.

Yesterday, a delegation of educators presented Superintendent Joe Gothard with a petition signed by 75% of members supporting the union’s contract proposals. And today’s “walk-in” events, in which educators enter school alongside the students at the center of their bargaining priorities, took place across the city.

Supporters can sign onto the petition backing educators’ bargaining proposals, and sign up for updates from the union about future public actions.

SPFE and district leaders met Tuesday in their first mediation session since the district petitioned to move talks behind closed doors.

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Community backs St. Paul teachers’ call for progress in contract talks

February 17, 2016 by
Members of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers rally with supporters before walking into the Teachers at American Indian Magnet School in St. Paul.

Members of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers rally with supporters before walking into the Teachers at American Indian Magnet School in St. Paul.

 

Parents, students and community members rallied with members of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers outside school buildings across the city this morning, demanding progress in contract talks between SPFT and the St. Paul Public Schools, scheduled to resume tomorrow.

Wearing hats and scarves in SPFT’s signature red, participants chanted and carried signs expressing support for the teachers’ bargaining priorities, including measures to improve school climate, reduce class sizes and beef up staffing among school nurses, librarians, social workers and other support positions.

“I wouldn’t be out here if it was just about financial issues,” Laurel Kuhner Berker said outside American Indian Magnet School, where she teaches. “I’m out here because these issues affect the kids.”

SPFT President Denise Rodriguez outlined teachers’ bargaining priorities in a speech to supporters outside American Indian Magnet:

 

 

Other teachers outside American Indian Magnet expressed concern that the district already is disregarding some provisions of SPFT’s existing contract.

Kuhner Berker’s fifth-grade class has 30 students – up from 23 last year – and is one of four classrooms in the building with enrollments that exceed the contractual limits. The school also does not have the required number of kindergarten aides, she said.

“This is about fairness,” said middle-school teacher Bob Otto, also a parent of three children in the district. “We want a quality education for all children.”

Walk-in events took place at more than 50 school sites across the district, according to SPFT. Find photos from rallies outside American Indian Magnet and St. Paul Johnson High School below:

SPFT President Denise Rodriguez will retire June 12.
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Union members look to make difference on White Bear Lake school board

October 27, 2015 by
Marge Newmaster (L) and Ellen Fahey

Marge Newmaster (L) and Ellen Fahey

Ellen Fahey and Marge Newmaster, two of three labor-endorsed candidates for White Bear Lake school board, understand the challenges working families face, value public education and appreciate the collective bargaining process.

It’s no coincidence Fahey and Newmaster also are union members.

Minnesota unions have put a focus in recent years on training and equipping members, retirees and community allies with the skills they need to run successfully for public office, believing the best advocates for labor’s priorities – like strong schools, good jobs, fair taxes and collective bargaining – are union members themselves.

Fahey and Newmaster are proving that theory true on the campaign trail this fall.

“My commitment has always been to kids, to education, but also to a union,” said Fahey, who retired in June after 39 years of teaching, including the last 22 in the White Bear Lake Area Schools.

Newmaster, a media specialist who’s worked in the district since 1971, said she “would hate to see happen here what happened in Wisconsin,” referring to Gov. Scott Walker’s move to strip teachers and most other public employees of most collective bargaining rights.

The third labor-endorsed candidate in White Bear Lake, Scott Nelson, also is a member of Education Minnesota.

Kris Fredson, political director for the Minnesota AFL-CIO, said it’s always encouraging to see union members step into the political arena.

“Working families are under attack more, and it’s great to see union members choosing to do something about,” Fredson said. “More and more union members are volunteering, and more and more union members are running for office, whether it’s school board or city council or the state Legislature. And that’s how we’re going to move a working families agenda forward.”

Saint Paul Union AdvocateWhat makes union members good advocates for working families?

• Unique perspectives. In White Bear Lake, the experience of working inside a classroom gives all three labor-endorsed candidates a deep appreciation for the need to keep class sizes small. Fahey taught a middle school science class several years ago with 37 students.

“You can still do your job, but it’s crowded, and there’s no room to give anyone any space,” she said. “We need to work with the Legislature to address school funding so all schools are funded on an equal level.”

Newmaster, meanwhile, pointed to her experience working as a media specialist, helping students access the information they need to plan their life after graduation.

“We really need to provide our kids with a wide variety of experiences so that they’re ready to go on to postsecondary education or begin new jobs,” she said. “We need to make sure we’re connecting with employers, colleges, other training centers to see what their expectations are.”

• Collaborative approach. Newmaster pledged to make the district’s decision-making process more inclusive and to take seriously the input of all stakeholders – students, parents, staff and community members.

“We haven’t had a lot of that lately,” Newmaster said. “We also need to respect everybody’s culture. We can’t just talk about closing the (achievement) gap without talking about cultural competence, where we try to understand everybody’s viewpoints and respect them.”

• Respect for collective bargaining. Both Fahey and Newmaster were active union members, and both value the power and voice their union provided them. When Newmaster started her career in the White Bear Lake schools, she was ineligible for family health insurance coverage because she wasn’t considered a head of her household.

“Our union supported us when it looked like we were going to take it to court, and we won family coverage,” she said.

Fahey has a track record of leadership in the White Bear Lake Teachers’ Association, serving on negotiations teams and volunteering as a members-rights representative for 11 years. She’s pushed back against administrators who accused her union of trying to “bulldoze” policies or initiatives during negotiations.

“Who is this union?” she told management. “Look at all these people in your classrooms. A union is a group of people working for a common purpose.”

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Turnover Problems: Union staff want charter-school board to address ‘revolving door’

February 16, 2015 by
Teachers and staff wore matching blue shirts with gold stars on the back and the text "because our WORKING environment is the students' LEARNING environment" to the CSE board's Jan. 21 meeting. (submitted photo)

Teachers and staff wore matching blue shirts with gold stars on the back and the text “because our WORKING environment is the students’ LEARNING environment” to the CSE board’s Jan. 21 meeting. (submitted photo)

After another third-grade teacher at the Community School of Excellence in St. Paul “got fed up with some of the disrespect” and resigned last October, Eric Johnson saw the number of students in his classroom swell from 22 to 31.

“The third-grade teachers, we agreed we’d absorb the kids,” Johnson said. “It’s better than the alternative – getting somebody who’s not the best teacher who we have to help teach our curriculum.

“But it’s not in the best interest of the kids at all.”

Johnson, vice president of the Education Minnesota Federation of Charter School Employees, was among roughly 30 staff members who showed up at a Jan. 21 meeting of CSE’s board of directors to register their concerns about the high rate of staff turnover at CSE, a 900-student school, located at Rice Street and Rose Avenue, that focuses on Hmong language and culture.

After a vote held last June, CSE teachers and support staff became the just the second group of charter school employees to unionize in Minnesota history. Negotiations on a first contract remain in the preliminary stages.

But by speaking up en masse about the turnover problem, Johnsons said, CSE staff put administrators on notice that they remain committed to winning a voice on the job.

Speaking up at the meeting “took guts,” Johnson said. “Especially with some of the intimidation that’s going on at the school, it’s hard to get people to participate in this stuff because of that track record of the past.”

Fourth-grade teacher Bong Xiong, second from right, was active in efforts to organize a staff union at CSE. He was fired over the winter break.

Fourth-grade teacher Bong Xiong, second from right, was active in efforts to organize a staff union at CSE. He was fired over the winter break.

‘A revolving door’

Most of the staff turnover at CSE this school year has been voluntary. Staff members and parents at the Jan. 21 meeting urged board members to investigate why the school has trouble retraining – and attracting – qualified staff.

Meanwhile, the turnover has continued. Two days after the board meeting, two middle-school teachers resigned, bringing the total number of resignations this school year to seven, Johnson said.

Fourth-grade teacher Bong Xiong, who was active in efforts to form a staff union at CSE, was terminated over the winter break.

All eight former staff members were “qualified people that a school like this really needs to have around to improve the achievement of the students,” Johnson said.

But high turnover rates “are not unusual for this school – and that’s the problem,” he added. “It’s a revolving door.”

Why? An outside investigation, initiated by state regulators in 2013, provided a glimpse of the work environment at CSE. In addition to confirming reports of financial and procedural mismanagement at the school, the investigation revealed an incident in which Superintendent Mo Chang disclosed the identity of a teacher who reported to authorities suspicions of child abuse at home.

Staff members described a culture of fear within the school, plagued by instability and poor communication, as a motivating factor in their successful organizing campaign last year.

Recruiting qualified applicants to CSE has been difficult as well, Johnson said.

“If a qualified candidate is going to go out on a limb with a charter school, they want to see what’s going on at the school,” he said. “I would imagine some of these questionable ethical activities come up on a Google search, and I would assume that has something to do with why we’re having a hard time recruiting qualified candidates.”

Kids suffer

Whatever its cause, the high level of staff turnover at CSE isn’t good for the students’ learning environment, teachers, parents and community members told board members. They asked board members to look for answers to the school’s turnover problems by reviewing exit interviews conducted with outgoing staff.

“We know for a fact some of the people who have left have done exit interviews” with administrators, Johnson said. “We’re asking the board to do their own inquiry, without an agenda, of why so many people working here are less than happy.

“Finding the answer to this problem isn’t tough. It’s what are you going to do with the answers you find? That’s the tough part.”

Filed Under: Union Events Tagged With: , , , ,

Community rallies behind teachers’ campaign for ‘schools our kids deserve’

February 19, 2014 by

Supporters line the sidewalk outside St. Paul Public Schools headquarters during a rally in support of the teachers' contract campaign.

Wearing red scarves, hats and shirts to show their solidarity with union teachers, families packed the parking lot outside St. Paul Public Schools headquarters yesterday during a rally in support of smaller class sizes, expanded pre-kindergarten and other community-driven priorities teachers have brought to the table in contract negotiations with the district.

“Parents are standing with you because you actually want to know what we want for our kids,” parent Leon Sanders told teachers at the rally. “And when we told you, you stood up for us.”

Supporters wear red to show their support for the teachers' union.

Supporters wear red to show their support for the teachers’ union.

The St. Paul Federation of Teachers organized the rally, which drew about 200 people, in advance of two critical events in negotiations: a return to the bargaining table tomorrow and a strike-authorization vote Feb. 24.

“We need to make sure our Board of Education hears they need to get serious about making progress with us on the schools St. Paul children deserve,” SPFT President Mary Cathryn Ricker said. “We want progress.”

Board of Education members received that message during a public hearing that opened their meeting later in the evening. A string of parents, teachers and students lined up to show their support for the teachers’ contract campaign.

Mariah Duncan, a senior at Central High School, told board members she’s had to sit on the floor of some classrooms stuffed beyond capacity. Jennifer Ewald, whose son has a severe peanut allergy and asthma, told board members she supports teachers’ efforts to staff more of the district’s schools with nurses.

Smaller class sizes and increased professional staffing are among the principles, culled from months of listening sessions with parents, students and other community stakeholders, that are guiding the teachers’ contract campaign. Others include a decreased reliance on standardized testing and expansion of the district’s pre-kindergarten offerings.

“I cannot stress enough that pre-K helped us put the pieces in place for our child to be successful,” Zuki Ellis told board members during the public hearing.

Leroy Duncan said his children report having as many as 29 students in their classes. “It’s not right," he said. "There’s no reason we can’t do better for our kids so they can get the type of attention they deserve."

Leroy Duncan said his children report having as many as 29 students in their classes. “It’s not right,” he said. “There’s no reason we can’t do better for our kids.”

A parent of three, Ellis also supports teachers’ efforts to reduce class sizes. Her oldest son has “close to 40 students” in some high school classes, she said.

“Is that safe for 40 high school students to be in a science lab?” Ellis asked. “Our babies deserve better – my babies, your babies, our babies.

“Thank you, teachers, for standing up for these issues.”

After the public hearing, board members tabled a resolution on the district’s response to a potential strike. But last week Superintendent Valeria Silva and Board Chair Mary Doran mailed letters to parents warning of school closures, schedule changes and other potential impacts of a teacher strike.

For Phillip Cryan, parent of a third-grader at J.J. Hill Montessori, the intent of that letter was clear.

“I was supposed to feel afraid,” Cryan said. “Other people got that message too? Well, I don’t feel afraid today.”

If it takes a strike to make progress on the schools St. Paul students deserve, Cryan added, then teachers will have his support – and support from parents across the district like him.

“We are with you in this fight because we see the love you show to our kids every day,” he said. “That’s why so many of us choose to live here and pay taxes here. We are going to be with you whatever it takes and for as long as it takes.”

web.SPFT-rally-lineup

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Parents, students support teachers’ walk-in demonstrations across St. Paul

January 30, 2014 by

St. Paul teachers and their supporters join a "walk-in" demonstration at American Indian Magnet school in the city's Dayton's Bluff neighborhood.

On days when the cold or snow delays the start of school, some students trickle into Ryan Long’s classroom at American Indian Magnet school, while others stay home altogether.

Sadly, it’s on these rare occasions that Long and other St. Paul teachers glimpse what it’s like teaching a manageable class size of students.

Ryan Long, a special education teacher at American Indian Magnet, supports his union's push to limit class sizes in the district.

Ryan Long, a special education teacher at American Indian Magnet, supports his union’s push to limit class sizes in the district.

“All of a sudden, you could manage your classroom,” Long said, joining a demonstration outside the school building before the start of classes this morning. “You can get things done.”

Limiting class sizes is among the key proposals Long’s union, the St. Paul Federation of Teachers, has prioritized in ongoing contract negotiations with the St. Paul Public Schools. SPFT members highlighted those priorities during “walk-in” demonstrations before class today at 55 school sites citywide, including American Indian Magnet in Dayton’s Bluff.

Parents, students and neighbors joined teachers at the walk-ins, showing their support for contract proposals the SPFT developed after months of gathering input from community stakeholders.

“We started our negotiation work with families, students and community members. It is only natural to continue that,” SPFT President Mary Cathryn Ricker said. “It’s time to make progress on a contract that ensures the schools St. Paul children deserve.”

[Click here to sign onto a petition supporting the SPFT’s community-driven vision for St. Paul’s schools.]

Negotiations began eight months ago. Along with limits on class size, teachers are pushing for expanded access to pre-Kindergarten; guaranteed staffing of school nurses, social workers, media specialists and other support staff; and a de-emphasis on standardized testing.

Michele Fairbanks, who teaches at the American Indian Magnet and has a daughter in the school, pointed to research by the union indicating some students spend as much as 30 days per school year taking tests.

“One set of tests is fine,” Fairbanks said. “But three or four standardized tests per year is overkill. The tests cost a lot of money, and that takes a lot away from students, from class sizes.”

In September, the district moved the talks into closed-door mediation and out of the public eye – a decision that rankled many teachers.

“The school district makes a big deal of having ‘Strong Schools, Strong Communities,’” American Indian Magnet teacher Jason Bresette said, citing the title of the district’s strategic plan. “But when they closed negotiations, it didn’t feel like they wanted strong community input.”

“Teachers who aren’t on the bargaining committee, parents, community members – we can’t listen or watch because they walked out so early in the process,” Fairbanks added.

Union officers said teachers planned the citywide walk-in to demonstrate their “frustration with the pace of talks, but it is not part of a formal run-up to a strike … or other job action.”

Long, who splits a case load of 45 students with one other special education teacher, believes district administrators and school board members share many of the teachers’ concerns, particularly when it comes to class sizes. But his caseload isn’t getting any more manageable as negotiations drag on.

“I’m supposed to have about 10 to 12 students in my caseload,” Long said. “We run out of chairs sometimes. It’s hard to move around in the classroom.”

web.SPFT-walkin1

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