Members of St. Paul’s teachers’ union cast ballots Thursday to decide whether they’ll walk off the job if they can’t reach a new contract agreement with the school district.

If they approve a strike, it could happen as soon as early March.

Months of negotiations between the St. Paul Federation of Educators and St. Paul Public Schools have failed to result in a new contract. Teachers and non-licensed staff are asking for pay raises and more help with health insurance payments, but the district says it can’t budge with a looming budget deficit of more than $100 million.

If the union approves a strike, it would be the fourth consecutive two-year bargaining cycle in a row where that’s happened. The union went on strike for four days in 2020 and almost went on strike in 2018 and 2022.

“I’m frustrated that we’re here again,” SPFE president Leah VanDassor told reporters outside a union hall as members voted Thursday afternoon. “We’ve been doing strike votes since 2018, we have to bargain every two years and we shouldn’t get to this point.”

10-day countdown if strike approved

Word on the strike vote could come as soon as late Thursday night, VanDassor said.

If membership approves the strike, leadership can then announce their intent to follow through, which VanDassor said could come as early as next week.

Members of the St. Paul Federation of Educators wave during a vote on whether to authorize a strike against the St. Paul Public Schools at the Carpenters Local Union 322 hall in St. Paul on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Once the union files to strike, there’s a 10-day countdown for final negotiations between the union and the district before the strike can begin.

VanDassor said her union feels the school district is “dragging its feet” as other districts in the metro and state, such as the Anoka-Hennepin school district, have reached deals.

There are still two more closed-door mediation sessions scheduled — one on Feb. 23 and one on March 1. In a letter to district staff, SPPS human resources chief Pat Pratt Cook said recent discussions between the district and union had been productive.

“While the SPPS bargaining team does not believe (the) strike vote is necessary to move negotiations along, we acknowledge and respect SPFE’s right to take this collective action,” she wrote. “Regardless of the outcome of the vote, we will continue to negotiate in good faith in an effort to reach a fair and financially sound agreement.”

VanDassor said there has been progress in mediation but there are still issues with wages and benefits.

Thousands cast votes

It was a busy scene Thursday afternoon outside the Carpenters Local Union 322 Hall in St. Paul as thousands of members of the St. Paul Federation of Educators showed up to cast their ballots. Members with signs and clad in red caps streamed by the hundreds in and out of the union hall to cast their ballots and others in vests directed traffic in the busy parking lot.

Among the union members who voted in favor of the strike was Michael Houston, a Harding High School math teacher who has been with the district for 20 years and was Minnesota’s teacher of the year in 2023.

Houston said he backs the strike because he wants to support fellow educators.

“I feel like the district doesn’t really value our voices as educators,” he said. “We’re the ones in the classrooms, were the ones on the front lines.”

State funding, projected budget deficit

Despite the state Legislature increasing funding for education last year, many districts still face shortfalls as federal pandemic aid expires. St. Paul Public Schools faces a $107.7 million deficit in the coming year, according to a February budget projection.

St. Paul Public Schools officials estimate requests from the SPFE could top $112 million, and the district said it was willing to allocate only $12.4 million in additional funding.

Early union proposals included a $7,500 pay bump for all teachers and community service personnel in the district, as well as a 7.5% raise in the second year. They’re also asking for a $5.43-an-hour raise for educational assistants followed by a 7.5% raise in the second year.

St. Paul Federation of Educators president Leah VanDassor talks about the union’s strike authorization vote at the Carpenters Local Union 322 hall in St. Paul on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. Members of the union voted Thursday on whether to authorize a strike against the St. Paul Public Schools. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Besides wage increases and insurance policy changes, teachers want more funding for student mental health support services and more support for restorative practices — a shift away from traditional discipline like suspensions and moving toward an emphasis on community building.

Union leaders say the district should be able to accommodate their demands as it received an ongoing $56 million increase in state funding tied to inflation.

St. Paul teachers are among the highest-paid in the state of Minnesota. In the 2022-2023 school year, the average teacher salary was $87,250, according to data from the Minnesota Professional Educator and Licensing Standards Board, placing the district in the top 10 statewide.

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