After working without a contract since June 30, the Edina Public Schools district and the teachers union, Education Minnesota/Edina, have negotiated a contract that will be voted upon by union members on Dec. 20 and 21. Teacher contracts are valid for two years, starting on July 1 of the odd calendar years. 

EME President Jason Dockter said changes in the legislature have resulted in a slower timetable than in other years. Although the negotiation process would normally be settled by this point in the year, many other school districts in the metro area haven’t finalized a contract according to Dockter. “Every district is taking it really slow this year,” he said. Many of the people negotiating on behalf of the district and on behalf of the union are new this year, which also slowed the beginning of the process. “I’m the only person that has been there for several years,” Dockter said.

Every union member has the opportunity to vote whether or not to approve the contract. Teachers, school nurses, preschool teachers, and more comprise the bargaining unit for the contract, which is the group of people whom the contract will directly impact. 

The proposed 2023-25 contract remains similar to its predecessor, which was divided into 14 sections outlining teacher benefits, procedural information, the rights of the employer, and the rights of the employee. The contract consists of two major sections: the negotiable and the non-negotiable. The union can negotiate the terms and conditions of employment including health insurance, leaves of absence, retirement benefits, and severance-type benefits. Additionally, the proposed contract outlines demands for class sizes and staffing ratios, which were recently deemed negotiable by Section 179A in the 2023 Minnesota statutes.

Significant changes in the 2023-25 contract include an updated salary schedule to maintain fair-competitive wages and new policies the union has set forward. “We have some innovative workload proposals that we think are new… And we’ve been working with the district on the proposals for the last two years,” Dockter said. “We’ve been exploring [them] and trying to make it become a reality.”

For teachers at EPS, there’s no direct consequence to working without a new contract. Section 179A.20 Subdivision 6 of the 2023 Minnesota statutes reads that “[d]uring the period after contract expiration and prior to the date when the right to strike matures, and for additional time if the parties agree, the terms of an existing contract shall continue in effect and shall be enforceable upon both parties.” 

Dockter said that reaching a contract agreement late into the school year isn’t a cause for concern. “I’ve been in Edina since 2001, we’ve had contracts settled at different points in time. And so… it’s a little bit out of our recent norm, but it’s not out of the norm over a 20-year-expand to be this far this deep into the year without a contract,” he said.

A central goal of the contract creation process is to achieve fair and equal wages to compete with neighboring districts. Because of the delay in negotiations, the salaries of EPS teachers have not been updated or adjusted for inflation since 2021. According to Dockter, fair compensation is key to ensuring teachers don’t leave for other school districts. 

“[The district and union] all agree that when you have working conditions that allow for someone to have a career in Edina, that’s not only going to be good for that person, but that’s good for the community as well,” he said.