St. Paul teachers’ union settles for district’s proposed wage increases

I previously wrote about the tentative agreement reached between the Saint Paul Federation of Educators and the Saint Paul Public Schools district. Over the weekend, the teachers’ union sent out details of the contract agreement to members, as reported by the Pioneer Press. Members are expected to vote on the contract either today or tomorrow.

Bargaining team member Pete Grebner released a video summarizing the agreement where he confirmed the union “settled” for the district’s wage increase proposal of 1.5 percent this year and 2 percent next year, at a cost of $9.6 million. The union’s initial wage increase proposals were 3.4 percent this year and 2 percent next year.

But as I stated in my most recent Pioneer Press article, these salary increases don’t paint the full picture.

While these percentage increases do represent new money, many in the general public are not aware that these increases are on top of built-in pay hikes based on teachers’ education level and experience.

Even under the district’s proposed salary schedule, most St. Paul teachers will receive at least an eight percent increase over the life of the two-year bargaining agreement. On average, St. Paul teachers are paid $75,199, second only to Edina teachers in Minnesota.