MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Minneapolis teachers union has come out against a sweeping plan to reshape the public school system and says students, parents and educators should have a say in the design.
The union, which represents more than 3,000 teachers, is calling on the district to extend its timeline on the so-called comprehensive district design. District leaders drew up the five proposed plans with a nearly $20 million budget deficit in mind and a desire to keep students in the district, the Star Tribune reported.
The plans proposed by Superintendent Ed Graff would change the district’s makeup by cutting and relocating magnet schools and redrawing attendance boundaries, therefore shuffling thousands of students to new schools in an effort to address racial disparities.
Michelle Wiese, president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, said Wednesday that while the union agrees the “status quo is not acceptable” it believes any plan created without opinions from key players will have “negative impacts on the trust in Minneapolis Public Schools.”
More than 150 union members cast votes, with 82% voting to oppose the plan.
Graff said Wednesday that the district is “disappointed that a small percentage of our total MFT membership is not supportive of the models we have developed.”
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