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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Mpls. Strike Seen as Referendum on State of Public Schools

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Wednesday, March 9, 2022   

Teachers in Minneapolis walked the picket line Tuesday in hopes of securing better pay and more mental-health support in schools. Their calls echo the sentiments shared by educators elsewhere.

Other demands from Minneapolis teachers include smaller class sizes and culturally relevant support for staff members. Matt Pellowski, who serves as a teacher mentor in the district, said educators have made huge sacrifices to meet the needs of students during the pandemic.

"It's been a rough ride," he said. "We are fighting for a better future so that we - our morale -- can improve."

Educators have said the district has the resources to meet their demands, but the superintendent has cited lower enrollment and inadequate education funding as roadblocks. St. Paul avoided its own teacher walkout this week with a last-minute agreement. The labor issues have spurred calls for state lawmakers to use Minnesota's large budget surplus to boost school funding. GOP leaders have said the focus should be on taxpayer relief.

Nationally, teachers' advocates hope the events in Minneapolis renew a groundswell of calls for action, such as the "Red for Ed" walkouts in districts across the country a few years ago.

American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten was in the city Tuesday, suggesting the stress is felt on a broader level.

"There are 16,000 school districts in this country," she said. "Kids and parents and educators have been through it, in a way that is unprecedented."

The Minneapolis labor dispute also highlights calls for better pay - not just for teachers, but for educational support professionals. With many of these individuals making only $24,000 a year, Pellowski said, it's hard to deliver a robust system that helps students thrive.

"If we had to wages that attracted and retained educators, ESPs and teachers here in Minneapolis," he said, "we would have the schools that our kids deserve."

Disclosure: American Federation of Teachers contributes to our fund for reporting on Education, Health Issues, Livable Wages/Working Families, Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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