St. Paul educators fight back against plan for mid-year cuts

St. Paul, MN – Hundreds gathered at the Saint Paul Public Schools District Administration Building on Tuesday, October 21 to protest proposed mid-year budget cuts. The cuts would hit English Language Learner students and their families the hardest and would mean over a dozen English Language (EL) teachers across the district would have their positions terminated.

The Saint Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE) called to rally immediately before the school board meeting where voting was to take place on the proposed cuts. SPFE requested community members to stay for the meeting and make their voices heard in the public comment section.

Community member and immigrant Belquis Rivera reminded the crowd of the importance of EL teachers during ICE’s Operation Metro Surge, “I am a working mother. And in this past year, there has been much adversity to immigrants in this country. The teachers that are being cut made it possible for us to live last year, for immigrant families to live last year. And while there is so much racism in this country, we escaped countries that were dangerous, where there was real risk. And this teacher put herself at risk to make sure that my family had what they needed to live.”

“I grew up in a small village in Somalia, and came here to Saint Paul as a refugee. I went to public school in Saint Paul,” said union-endorsed Saint Paul School Board candidate Omar Syed to thunderous applause. “The language I speak today, these are the educators who taught me! SPPS is already losing immigrant families to charter schools. Cutting educators who help their children succeed risks pushing even more families out of the Saint Paul Public Schools.”

Monica Byron, elementary teacher and president of Education Minnesota, condemned the mid-year firing of teachers. “What is happening right now in St. Paul is not normal. Laying off educators, after the year has already started, isn’t just highly unusual. It’s unprecedented.”

Byron continued: “Our educators have welcomed students into their classrooms. They’ve built relationships. They’ve created safe, welcoming, learning environments. And now, just weeks into the school year, they’re being told their jobs could disappear. Shame. That is not how we support our educators. And it’s certainly not how we support our students. Our students deserve better.”

The rally moved into the school board meeting, where coordinated chanting forced the board to allow a hugely extended public comment section that lasted around five hours. The board moved unanimously to postpone the vote until the week of October 26 so that more engagement and other options can be explored.

Follow SPFE for action items and rally times to continue this fight.

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