Anoka-Hennepin teachers rally for new contracts outside school board meeting

Anoka-Hennepin teachers rally at meeting

Hundreds of people gathered outside a school board meeting Monday night as teachers in the Anoka-Hennepin school district called for support amid attempts of negotiating a new contract.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Teachers in the Anoka-Hennepin School District are calling for support amid attempts to negotiate a new contract.

Hundreds of people gathered outside a school board meeting Monday night as teachers with the Anoka Hennepin Education Minnesota (AHEM) union have been working without a contract for nearly 200 days.

The teachers are asking for an increase in pay, smaller class sizes, and additional support for special education classrooms.

"More gets piled on us, more is asked of us every single year, yet we don't get more," said first-grade teacher Valerie Koss.

Sixth-grade special education teacher Erin Zimmerman added, "People are leaving and doing other careers because the pay is not really good."

However, the district says they have already offered the teachers a historic pay raise and they are asking for money that is not there.

AHEM has already proposed two financial options, and the district countered with two proposals, according to the school district website. If a contract can’t be reached, educators could vote to go on strike.

The next mediation is scheduled for Jan. 19.

FOX 9 reached out to the Anoka-Hennepin School District for comment.