St. Paul teachers rally for new union contract

St. Paul teachers plan to rally this morning as their union and the district continue closed door contract negotiations.

St. Paul Federation of Teachers officials say their members are rallying to raise support for provisions they want in their next two-year contract.

"We really want to make sure that we have predictable, dependable class sizes that we can offer to student and families," said union president Mary Cathryn Ricker.

The rallies are taking place the same day as St. Paul superintendent Valeria Silva presents her annual state of the district address.

The state's teachers union, Education Minnesota, says so far 52 percent of teacher contracts across the state are settled, which is on pace with the last negotiation cycle two years ago.

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