LAKEVILLE, Minn. — A south metro school district is staring down a possible teacher strike ahead of summer break.þþLakeville teachers, parents and community members rallied Tuesday outside the district then packed a school board meeting.þþThe 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.þþÿWe have been in extensive communication with the district to try to get them back to the table,ÿ said Johannah Surma, the union's lead negotiator and an elementary school teacher in the district. ÿWe want to get this settled before a strike.ÿþþSurma says one of the big sticking points is salaries.þþÿWe need to be at least competitive,ÿ she said. ÿOur 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.ÿþþSurma says the other issue in negotiations centers around the district's ability to transfer teachers between classrooms and schools at will.þþThe union says teachers have left Lakeville for higher-paying jobs.þþAs a result, Surma says classes can have more than 30 students.þþÿIf…we do go on strike, we hope it lasts as short as possible,ÿ Surma said. ÿOur goal absolutely is minimum impact to kids and families.ÿþþParents who attended the rally view the possibility of a strike as short-term pain for long-term gain.þþÿIt'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,ÿ said Robin Strand, who has two children in the district.þþIn a statement, the district said they think a strike can be avoided, but they ÿencourage families to create contingency plans in the event of a strike.ÿþþIt's not clear what those plans might be.þþ
Source: cbsnews.com
