The state’s failure to keep school funding steady has forced most school districts to seek local levies.
St. Paul Federation of Teachers schedules strike vote
January 24, 2018 by
Frustrated by the St. Paul Public Schools’ refusal to take up their top priorities in contract negotiations, SPFT members will take a strike authorization vote Jan. 31.
Labor-endorsed candidates back investments in public education, from pre-K to higher ed
November 4, 2016 by
Bold investments in public schools and early learners. Higher education that’s affordable for working families. An aggressive approach to narrowing the achievement gap between white students and students of color. Labor-endorsed candidates have high hopes when it comes to education in Minnesota, but they will need to win a majority in the House – and […]
Unions praise Dayton’s approach to building a ‘state that works for everyone’
March 10, 2016 by
In his State of the State Address last night, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton called on legislators to join him in addressing the state’s racial and geographic disparities, and in making needed investments in public education, transportation and infrastructure. Afterward, union leaders from across the state praised Dayton’s speech. Education Minnesota President Denise Specht called Dayton […]
Students, teachers, unions urge lawmakers to invest state budget surplus
December 3, 2015 by
The projected $1.2 billion state budget surplus, announced by state officials today, creates an opportunity for lawmakers to strengthen communities and continue growing Minnesota’s middle class in the 2016 legislative session, union members and allies said. And the first place lawmakers should look to invest is education. That’s the message three Metro-area legislators heard […]
Union members look to make difference on White Bear Lake school board
October 27, 2015 by
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, […]
As lawmakers haggle, faces behind education budget speak out in St. Paul
June 2, 2015 by
As Minnesota lawmakers announced a breakthrough in negotiations over the state’s E-12 education budget yesterday, the faces behind the financial figures – students, parents and teachers – rallied against staff and programming cuts in St. Paul. “We cannot nickle and dime our kids’ future,” school board candidate Zuki Ellis, the parent of a first-grader in the St. Paul Public […]
‘Freedom Writers’ screening at East Side Freedom Library
January 8, 2015 by
“Freedom Writers,” a feature-length dramatic film based on the real-life story of Los Angeles students labeled “low achievers” during the mid-1990s, is next up in the East Side Freedom Library’s film and discussion series. Inspired by a creative teacher, the students learned to support each other as a community and commit themselves to changing both […]
Dayton, DFL legislators reversed trend of dwindling support for schools
October 29, 2014 by
Jeff Johnson, the Republican nominee for governor, provided a glimpse of his leadership style May 15, telling a Tea Party group he would “go all Scott Walker on Minnesota” if elected Nov. 4. So what is it about Walker’s Wisconsin that Johnson believes is worth replicating? To answer that question – and to get a […]
Staff at two St. Paul charter schools are back to school, union strong
September 25, 2014 by
The state that introduced charter school legislation to the country has its first union of charter-school employees, as teachers from two St. Paul schools returned to the classroom this fall as members of Education Minnesota. About two dozen teachers at Twin Cities German Immersion School, a K-8th grade charter located at 1031 Como Ave., […]
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