The third negotiations meeting for Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) and the Saint Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE) was held on Thursday, Oct. 26, to discuss the next contracts for Teachers, Educational Assistants (EAs) and School and Community Service Professionals (SCSP). 

SPFE presented an additional 15 proposals that covered site councils, full-service community schools, mental health teams and training, green/climate initiatives, gender equity and affinity groups, itinerant deaf/hard of hearing teacher workloads, Critical Ethnic Studies teacher stipends and professional development, bilingual fluency stipends, and sick, bereavement and family medical leave. These proposals will be added to the proposals page for a total of 34 SPFE proposals to date.

SPPS’s proposals covered fair share fee language, quarantine leave and summer staffing. Please refer to the proposals page for the full list of SPPS proposals to date.

After all new proposals were presented, SPFE responded orally to SPPS Proposal 1 - E-Learning, stating that this topic should remain at the bargaining table and not be moved to a working group. 

SPFE also asked for clarification on the Request for Proposals (RFP) cycle for the district health insurance plan. SPPS responded that the current Medica contract is a three-year contract (January 1, 2023-December 31, 2025), and the district would not be required to go out for RFP until spring 2025.

SPPS will begin costing SPFE’s proposals against the $17.9 million that has been budgeted for all 27 bargaining units. Several bargaining groups (Custodians, Machinists, Teaching Assistants and Nutrition Services) have already settled new three-year contracts. Several other groups are currently in negotiations or will be starting soon.

The next negotiations meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m. at 360 Colborne. All meetings are open to the public. Future meeting dates can be found on the negotiations calendar.