The Epoch Times By
More than 29,000 students in Minneapolis are in their third week of no school, as the public school district and its teachers’ union make little progress in reaching a deal to end a prolonged strike.
Starting March 8, the strike has now cost 10 days of classes for students of Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), who have already suffered from learning loss due to pandemic school closures. In order to meet the state requirement, at least half of these missed days must be made up either by canceling spring break or extending the last day of school.
The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT 59) has made a series of demands, including higher pay, smaller class sizes, and other concessions from the school district. But the key obstacle that prevents an agreement continues to be pay for educational support professionals, or ESPs. The average starting salary for ESPs in Minneapolis is about $24,000 each year, and the union demands that be increased to $35,000.
