Students in Minneapolis deserve better—and so do the teachers and education support professionals who serve them every day. Right now, educators across the city are preparing for a possible strike because Minneapolis Public Schools has failed to commit to the changes our classrooms urgently need.

This isn’t just about salaries. It’s about dignity, capacity, and care.

The Minneapolis Federation of Educators is calling for enforceable limits on class sizes, lower special education caseloads, and fair pay increases for both licensed teachers and support staff. These are essentials that determine whether a child gets the attention, support, and instruction they need to thrive.

One-third of kindergartners were in overcrowded classrooms last year. Special education assistants are stretched impossibly thin. Many of the education support professionals—the people who often work closest with the most vulnerable students—earn far too little to support themselves or their families. Without real improvements, we risk burning out the very educators our children rely on.

Minneapolis Public Schools says the budget is tight. But what’s truly unaffordable is another generation of students slipping through the cracks in under-resourced classrooms.

Three years ago, teachers walked out for similar reasons. This time, we’re calling on the district to listen before it comes to that.

We urge Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams, the Minneapolis Board of Education, and all district negotiators to immediately agree to:

• Enforceable limits on class sizes and special education caseloads
• A 7% and 6% raise for licensed educators over the next two years
• A 12% and 10% raise for education support professionals

Show Minneapolis educators that we value their work, and that our children’s education comes first.

Sign this petition to stand with Minneapolis teachers and staff. Let’s stop a strike before it starts—by delivering the safe, supported, and equitable schools our community deserves.