Lakeville teachers' union files intent to strike before rally outside school board meeting

LAKEVILLE, Minn. — A south metro school district is staring down a possible teacher strike ahead of summer break.

Lakeville teachers, parents and community members rallied Tuesday outside the district then packed a school board meeting.

The teachers' union filed its intent to strike earlier in the day. They'll be out of the classrooms in two weeks if no agreement is reached.

"We have been in extensive communication with the district to try to get them back to the table," said Johannah Surma, the union's lead negotiator and an elementary school teacher in the district. "We want to get this settled before a strike."

Surma says one of the big sticking points is salaries.

"We need to be at least competitive," she said. "Our teachers already make $10-15,000 a year less than the surrounding districts and our raises for the last five years haven't kept up with inflation."

Surma says the other issue in negotiations centers around the district's ability to transfer teachers between classrooms and schools at will.

The union says teachers have left Lakeville for higher-paying jobs.

As a result, Surma says classes can have more than 30 students.

"If…we do go on strike, we hope it lasts as short as possible," Surma said. "Our goal absolutely is minimum impact to kids and families."

Parents who attended the rally view the possibility of a strike as short-term pain for long-term gain.

"It's a hardship that families are going to have, but ultimately if we want to have teachers come to this district and work here, then they need to go through what they need to go through to get what they deserve," said Robin Strand, who has two children in the district.

In a statement, the district said they think a strike can be avoided, but they "encourage families to create contingency plans in the event of a strike."

It's not clear what those plans might be.

The next negotiating session is Monday.

The district released the following statement:

"On April 30, Education Minnesota-Lakeville (EML), the teachers' union, announced it filed for strike authorization. Per state statute, the District and Union have a 10-day window to engage in mediation before EML may begin striking. The next mediation session is scheduled for Monday, May 6, which is the earliest date available through the State Bureau of Mediation Services. The earliest the Union could legally strike is Monday, May 13. The District believes an agreement can be reached to avoid a strike and mitigate any disruptions to school and district operations. However, because of this recent development, we encourage families to create contingency plans in the event of a strike.

"The Board of Education and Administration will meet in a closed session on Tuesday, April 30 to further discuss negotiations. Additionally, once a strike preparedness plan is finalized, the District will promptly communicate with families and all staff groups to detail any potential impacts on school and district operations. These impacts could include school closures, adjustments to testing schedules, impacts for fee-based programs including child care, impacts to before-and-after school student and community activities, student meal services, and the potential scheduling of make-up days to ensure compliance with seat-time requirements.

"It is important to reiterate that the District firmly believes a strike can be averted through collaboration and mutual agreement. It is our priority to reach an agreement that supports our students, teachers, staff and the long-term success of our school community.

"The District will continue to keep families and staff updated as mediation progresses."