School board ratifies teacher contract; addresses workload, safety

Almost eight months after Eden Prairie Schools’ employment contract with teachers and licensed staff expired, the school board unanimously voted to ratify a new one at its monthly business meeting on Feb. 26.

The two-year contract between Eden Prairie Schools (Independent School District 272) and the Eden Prairie Education Association (EPEA) is retroactively effective from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025.

Board Chair Aaron Casper said, “While these discussions were challenging at times and took longer than any of us expected, they also led to some really productive outcomes.

“We had tough internal conversations and acknowledgment of where we need to do better for our teachers and licensed staff, and we’re already seeing changes implemented that will improve their work conditions, ensure ongoing safety, and hopefully increase retention,” he said.

Casper said he believed the contract was a commitment to making staff feel valued and appreciated. He said it offered them competitive pay while still being fiscally responsible, maintaining the district’s long-term financial stability.

The new contract includes a 4% raise in salary and benefits in 2023-24 and the same again in 2024-25, as well as a one-time bonus payment of $1,500 per FTE (Full-Time Equivalent). The full contract can be viewed here.

Addressing teacher safety, workload, retention

The EPEA had fought hard to achieve terms they believed would create a safer, more positive, and less stressful working environment for teachers that would help improve retention. They wanted the district to ensure class sizes do not exceed targets set by the school board, limit weekly meeting requirements for teachers, and improve teacher safety, among other measures.

During negotiations, Superintendent Josh Swanson acknowledged and apologized for situations where teachers have faced harassment and violence at work. Swanson verbally promised to work with the EPEA to form a safety task force addressing the “root causes” of safety issues at school. The district had earlier introduced this idea in a negotiations memo.

The district reiterated its commitment to form the safety task force as negotiations neared completion at the end of January. On Jan. 29, Dirk Tedmon, executive director of marketing and communications for EP Schools, said, “The school district will collaborate with EPEA leadership on the task force development, which will likely begin after negotiations are complete.”

However, on March 11, Dominic Kirkpatrick, the EPEA president, said she had not yet been approached about the task force.

On March 12, Tedmon said the task force would now likely be formed sometime after spring break. “There have been initial conversations and planning at the cabinet level,” he said.

“The team felt it would be best to wait until after spring break to begin those conversations more deeply so staff could focus on student support and managing work leading up to break,” Tedmon added. “Members and the action plan have not been identified at this point because the goal is to build that in partnership with the EPEA.”

In memorandums of understanding (MOU) attached to the contract, the district addressed class sizes and meeting frequency, among other issues.

During negotiations, the district said this year’s class sizes were atypically unbalanced, and it apologized for the impact that had on the learning community. It agreed to “monitor class sizes and staffing allocation ratios at all schools for the 2024-25 school year to ensure alignment with board-approved class size targets and staffing allocation ratios.”

It also agreed to meet with the high school administrative team after course registration to correct processes, review every class by every department in every term, and evaluate the impacts of class size on classroom instruction and student success at all schools at Labor Management Committee meetings.

On March 13, Tedmon said, “The district is following through on its commitments as outlined in the MOU. Staff have met with the high school and middle school leadership teams to begin looking at enrollments, registrations, and staffing ratios. This work will continue into the start of the school year as registrations are finalized.”

Regarding reducing meeting frequency, Swanson wrote a letter dated Feb. 27 to school administrators requesting they do a better job balancing the time they ask teachers to spend in meetings and on professional development, with the time teachers need to spend on planning, grading, and student needs.

“While there will always be important topics that require coming together, be considerate of the overall workload our teachers bear,” Swanson said. “Whenever possible, I recommend trying to limit meetings that are not legally mandated, required for due process, unforeseeably necessary, or paid committee meetings to no more than twice a week; however, I also acknowledge there are times where this won’t be possible.”

Swanson also asked administrators to ensure meetings were efficient, purposeful, and directly related to the district’s missions.

Casper thanked negotiating teams, EP community

At the board meeting on Feb. 26, Casper thanked the negotiating teams for EP Schools and the EPEA, acknowledging the hard work that went into reaching the agreement.

The EPEA negotiation team consisted of lead negotiator Charles Cooper, an Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) social studies teacher; Dominic Kirkpatrick, an EPHS teacher who is currently on leave while serving as EPEA president; Michelle Rada, a Central Middle School math teacher; and Eric Hermann, a representative from Education Minnesota.

EP Schools’ negotiation team was comprised of lead negotiator Thomas May, the executive director of human resources; board members Charles “CJ” Strehl and Steve Bartz; board chair Casper; Superintendent Swanson; Associate Superintendent Carlondrea Hines; and Robb Virgin, the executive director of learning and innovation.

Casper also thanked the Eden Prairie community for its “attention and advocacy during these negotiations,” including sharing personal stories and talking about how much they value EP Schools educators.

Many members of the Eden Prairie community had attended board meetings in support of the district’s teachers, and several made public comments strongly supporting a fair and better contract for teachers at the Jan. 22 board meeting. During that meeting, EP teachers and staff also rallied outside the district’s Administrative Service Center in support of a fair and favorable contract.