Minneapolis teachers will have more time to prepare, but students will see only a little more class time under a new teachers contract headed for a vote this month.
The two-year proposed contract is projected to cost the district $17.1 million, largely financed by reserves or non-classroom cuts. The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers will count teacher ballots Friday, and if the pact passes as expected, the school board votes four days later.
Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson is telling parents that more time for teaching, preparing lessons and monitoring student progress sets the table for gains in student progress -- when combined with better teacher evaluations and instructional training that the district is unrolling. School board Chairman Alberto Monserrate said completing negotiations with far less rancor than the last teachers contract will pay dividends in implementing those initiatives.
But skeptics who have pushed for more sweeping contract changes are disappointed. They argue that Minneapolis Federation of Teachers successfully stalled more sweeping changes.
"It's just mush on every level," said Lynnell Mickelsen, one outspoken critic. She's one of a group that wanted the district to push for hiring, firing and assigning teachers based on how much their students progress, for open hiring pools, quicker removal of subpar teachers and big gains in how much time students spend in class.
The proposal does lengthen the student year by four days, but hardly the one-third gain the self-styled reformers espouse.
The contract grants no cost-of-living increase -- the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers didn't even seek one given the clamp on state aid that all districts face. But the contract still will raise district costs by about 6.4 percent. That's mainly due to an extra $8.9 million the district will pay to lengthen the teaching year by four days and the non-teaching time the teacher is required to spend in school by an average of 15 minutes daily. That adds $3,090 to a typical teacher paycheck next year. Many teachers also will get raises for gains in experience and training.
Teachers negotiated for a number of changes they said will clear away distractions that hamper their ability to focus on improving lessons and monitoring how well students progress.