Minneapolis public school teachers hit the picket lines to fight for the “safe and stable schools our students deserve” and for better wages for the lowest-paid support professionals.
For many families of the 29,000 students in one of Minnesota’s largest school districts, an extended walkout by the nearly 3,300 teachers could mean a return to the struggles of balancing work and child care that they have faced throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are on strike for safe and stable schools, we’re on strike for systemic change, we’re on strike for our students, the future of our city and the future of Minneapolis public schools,” Greta Callahan, president of the teachers’ chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, said outside a middle school where more than 100 union members and supporters picketed in freezing weather.
According to the Association of Metropolitan School Districts, Twin Cities-area districts face a combined shortfall of more than $230 million for the 2022-23 school year. It cited the costs of special education and English learner programs, and the failure of state funding to keep pace with inflation.
Suzanna and Bryan Altman plan to sign up their third-grade daughter, Annette, for a day camp that classes and activities in science, technology. The Altmans, who both work in technology, made it through remote school days of Annette’s first- and second-grade years because they worked from home and set up a mini-pod with another family. They consider themselves lucky to have “a lot of resources available to us,” including willing grandmothers.