Peek inside Minneapolis' teacher contract negotiations

Contract talks between the Minneapolis Public Schools and Minneapolis Federation of Teachers will kick off next week. They're open to the public and likely to be as spirited as ever, after a coalition of former school board members, parents, City Council members and others proposed a major shakeup in the way teachers are hired, fired and selected for assignments.

With negotiations on the contract for the 2011-13 school year underway and no mediators involved, the sessions are open to the public for the first time in years. Supporters of the 'Contract for Student Achievement' are putting out the call for people to observe how a contract that costs the district around $240 million per year is being negotiated.

All negotiations take place at the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers office, 67 Eighth Av. NE. Here's a list of the times and dates.

-- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 23

-- 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28

-- 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1

-- 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6

-- 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16

-- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday Dec. 17

The people behind the 'Contract for Student Achievement' want: teacher evaluations to play a larger role in hiring, placement and layoffs; longer school days in buildings where students struggle on state exams; and a shorter timeline for firing ineffective teachers. For a copy of the proposal, hit this link.

Board chair Jill Davis issued a response to the proposal this week: "The Minneapolis Board of Education shares with you the goal of having an education system that works for all of our students. As many of your signers know, in order to comply with the law, the Minneapolis School Board is limited in what we can discuss regarding ongoing labor contract negotiations. The Minneapolis Board of Education, Superintendent Johnson and the collective bargaining team work together regarding collective bargaining strategies and know that the negotiations are focused on advancing student achievement. We will bargain in good faith and work with our collective bargaining team to come back with an agreement that produces a fair labor contract and that addresses the academic needs of the students enrolled in Minneapolis Public Schools."