Negotiations Continue Sunday As St. Paul Teachers Approach Strike Date

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- St. Paul educators continue negotiations with district leaders into Sunday evening in hopes of reaching a settlement by Tuesday's strike date.

According to a release, several tentative agreements were reached by 8:45 p.m. But no significant decisions were made on additional mental health, multilingual and special education supports.

"District leaders don't understand the urgency of these needs. Educators do -- we see them every day in our schools," said Nick Faber, president of the Saint Paul Federation of Educators. "Our students can't wait any longer."

READ MORE: 'Educators Are Fed Up': St. Paul Teachers Vote To Strike

According to the Saint Paul Federation of Educators, students have rising mental health needs. In the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey, 19 percent of eighth-grade girls in St. Paul Public Schools said they seriously considered suicide in the last year.

In St. Paul schools, families speak many different languages and would benefit greatly from more multilingual supports. Many families don't have access to multilingual staff to help them feel welcome and fully participate in their school community.

Negotiations will continue Monday, and teachers will walk off the job if a deal can't be worked out by Tuesday.