St. Paul teachers vote to adopt new contract
Teachers in St. Paul voted today to adopt a new contract.
The vote follows a tentative agreement between the teachers union and St. Paul Public Schools reached less than two weeks ago, after nine months of negotiations and a few days before teachers were scheduled to vote on a strike.
Union officials say 95 percent of teachers voted in favor of the deal. The St. Paul school board will vote on the contract March 18.
The agreement includes limits on class sizes, with an extra focus on 30 schools in the district with a high number of low income students.
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It also calls on the district to hire 42 new support staff positions, and reduces the time teachers will spend on assessment testing and preparing students for those tests.
Wages will increase by 2.5 percent in the first year of the contract and 2 percent in the second year, along with the normal raises St. Paul teachers get for education and experience.
The two-year contract will cost St. Paul Public schools $33 million dollars.
Statewide, 58 percent of teachers unions have settled two-year contracts with their districts.