A crowd on either side of the sidewalk holds signs and chants slogans. Teachers, education assistants and allies from District 281 are wearing their union’s blue shirts and asking for what they believe are livable wages.
“What we’re asking for is to remain competitive in this marketplace, and we’ve been lagging (behind) our neighbors,” Peter Eckhoff, president of the Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers told the Sun Post.
The Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers is a union made up of licensed teachers and support staff who do not have teaching licenses and work at Robbinsdale Area Schools.
Wednesday, Jan. 31 was a school night. It was also the night when Robbinsdale Area Schools met in a closed meeting to negotiate contracts for teachers. The sidewalk outside the Education Center in New Hope was flooded with demonstrators. Their signs read:
“I didn’t get my MA + to live paycheck to paycheck”
“Pay us what we are worth”
“DECREASING ENROLLMENT? TRY FULLY STAFFED SCHOOLS!”
“We matter!”
“PAY EAS SO THEY CAN STAY”
“I can’t afford my benefits!”
“MY 2ND JOB PAID FOR THIS SIGN”
“WE MATTER”
Several dozen signs repeated similar statements. Educators reported that they were struggling to pay bills and were asking the district for fair wages. Every few minutes, someone shouted a short phrase and others repeated it. Voices grew louder as school board directors entered the building.
The district is facing a proposed $17 million budget cut. Recently, shareholders were asked to answer a survey about financial priorities. The federation president noticed there was an important option omitted.
“They surveyed all the district families student and employees about their priorities for the budget, but the area that wasn’t even an area that was asked about was wages and benefits for the employees in the district,” Eckhoff said.
Interim Superintendent Marti Voight told the Sun Post that staff pay was just one piece of the puzzle when juggling the school district’s “finite resources.”
“We have to balance equitable pay for staff with other district expenses,” Voight wrote. “Our staff do amazing work in our buildings every day and we appreciate their dedication to our students and families.”
Educators have not made public any specific dollar amounts.
The Sun Post asked Eckhoff what people should do if they want to support the cause.
“They should reach out to their school board members in particular, because they are the ones that hold the purse strings for the school district, ultimately,” Eckhoff said. “And let them know that their teachers in their education systems and the employees in their schools districts that are in contact and supporting their kids each and every day are important enough to prioritize as they’re looking at budget priorities.”
Robbinsdale Area Schools is also seeking a new superintendent and financial director.
The next public meeting of the school board was Feb. 5 after this article went to press.
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