Anoka-Hennepin teachers reach tentative contract agreement, strike averted

Teachers and officials from the Anoka-Hennepin school district have reached a tentative contract agreement averting a strike that was to have begun on Thursday, Jan. 8.

The announcement came about 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, after a 20-hour mediation session. Neither district officials nor union leaders have publicly shared details of the deal.

School will be in session on Thursday, and all activities are expected to continue as scheduled, the district said in a statement.

“This tentative agreement means educators will be where they belong going forward — in classrooms with students, not on the picket line,” said John Wolhaupter, president of Anoka Hennepin Education Minnesota.

He said details will not be shared with the general public until union members have a chance to review them.

The proposal between the district and members of Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota (AHEM) covers the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years.

“What I can say today is that the tentative agreement avoids pay cuts, protects health insurance and provides stability for students and families,” Wolhaupter said in a news conference Jan. 7. District spokesman Jim Skelly did not share the terms of the agreement, but said it includes salary increases and increased contributions for health insurance premiums.

Wolhaupter said though union members didn’t want to walk out, “the strike threat was real.”

“It was serious and our members were fully prepared to walk the picket line,” he said.

AHEM, representing more than 3,000 educators, had filed a notice of intent to strike on Dec. 22 after members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a walkout if negotiations failed. Union members, who had been without a contract since June, set a strike date as Jan. 8.

The primary sticking points were salary increases and rising health insurance premiums, according to the union. Union leaders said Jan. 7 that they plan to push for a “bigger, more long-term” solution for rising health care costs, which are “hurting community members, families and educators all across the spectrum.”

In the fall, the state’s largest school district serving about 38,000 students posted updates on a negotiation page as the two sides continued mediation.

“Our members are already seeing smaller paycheck due to healthcare costs with our most recent contract,” the union said on Jan. 5. “The proposals put forward by Anoka-Hennepin schools throughout this cycle would make this problem even worse.”

As the deadline to strike a deal inched closer, the union assembled materials for picketing and hosted strike training. It appeared they were headed to the picket line.

“We will not accept a false choice. The Anoka-Hennepin School Board has it within their power and within their coffers to solve this dispute,” the union said in a social media post Jan. 7.

Both sides went to the table twice during the week between Dec. 29 and Jan. 2 and resumed talks again this week, including a marathon session Jan. 6.

The district had said all classes and activities would be cancelled if a strike had occurred. Child care would not have been offered either.