St. Paul Public Schools makes plans for students as educator strike nears
The St. Paul Federation of Educators voted to authorize a strike. (FOX 9)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Contract negotiations between St. Paul Public Schools and the St. Paul Federation of Educators are still ongoing, and plans are already going into place if educators go on strike on March 10.
According to SPPS Superintendent Joe Gothard, all Pre K-12 schools and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) classes and services will be closed starting that day. On Tuesday, students aged 18 and under will be able to get two meals daily. Breakfast will be available at 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and lunch will be available from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Transportation to the schools for meals will not be provided.
For a full list of schools where the meals will be available, click here.
Starting Thursday, if the strike continues, the district will open seven SPPS Kid Space sites for students in grades from K through 5. Those sites will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Officials are asking families to register in advance in order to help with staffing. Information about where the safe sites will be available Tuesday morning at this link. Parents can also look for an email in the coming days that will contain the registration information. However, since there will not be a nurse or medical staff at the site, the Kid Space site may not be able to provide enough support for students with special health needs.
"We understand that this program will not meet the needs of many families," read Gothard's message. "We apologize for that, but are doing the best we can with limited resources to support our families if a strike occurs. We ask that, if you are able, please find other care options for your child, so the seats in Kid Space are available to serve families who have no other options."
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities announced Friday that three of their sites will be open for current and new members from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily until the end of the strike. Breakfast and lunch will be provided and academic programming will be offered throughout the day. For those who are not members, the yearly membership fee will be waived during the strike. Boys & Girls Clubs officials urge parents to register on Monday or Tuesday as space is limited.
The three clubs in St. Paul that will serve as sites include the following: Mt. Airy Boys & Girls Club at 690 Jackson Street, East Side Boys & Girls Club at 1620 Ames Avenue East and Al Lenzmeier West Side Boys & Girls Club at 291 Belvidere Street.
Negotiations Friday were unsuccessful in leading to a deal. Among the union's proposals are increasing multilingual supports, as there is a lack of interpreters, and expanding the use of restorative practices, such as having a mental health team in every school.
Mediation between the union and the school district is scheduled over the weekend.