May 15, 2025

Jessica Premo
May 12
6 min read

Updated: May 15

Hello, EPEA!

I know it can be hard to focus on anything other than June 11 right now. However, we still have a lot of important work in front of us. As we continue to work with our students, the folks in St. Paul have, seemingly, forgotten how to work with us. Luckily, we’ve been great at reminding them. During our week of action, more than 1,500 individual contacts were made with legislators across the state reminding them that we deserve quality pay, insurance, and pensions. It worked. Although the final budget deal is not yet in place, it looks like we have protected all of the hard-earned victories from the last budget cycle. Some of these victories (... pension reform…) are more of a continuation than finality. Some do not recognize the continual crisis resulting from a legacy underfunding our schools for decades, but protecting inflationary spending is critically important to ending the crisis. Regardless, when the legislature realizes we are organized, we are purposeful, and we are insistent on the best for our classrooms, we make progress and our students win.

In solidarity,

Charles Cooper

Our Contract Expires on June 30!

Once the budget is settled in St. Paul, then our work in Eden Prairie will truly begin. We have fewer than 45 days remaining on our current contract. We need your help to make sure our next contract is the best possible. Our negotiations survey remains open until June 1. Roughly ⅓ of our membership has responded, so far. If you have not had a chance to complete the survey yet, if you know someone who has meant to, or if you have an extra 5 minutes in your next grade-level or department meeting, make sure you make your voice heard!

BE Our Union

As our contract negotiations begin, there are few better times to consider how to help us remain strong as a union. If you’ve ever worked without union protections, tolerated unfair actions, or you are curious how we help protect educators to advance public education then you should consider becoming a:

Settlement Leader: If we return without a tentative agreement in the Fall, each site will activate a settlement committee to coordinate our action as a union to win a fair contract.
Meet and Confer Rep: If you have ever wondered how our calendar is made, then you should explore Meet and Confer. Each site has one representative on the committee, and we are looking for applicants from Oak Point and TASSEL/Community Ed.

Link to previous EPEA Newsletters

Link to EPEA Staff and Leaders

QComp MOU Award

Contractually, all observations should be completed as of May 8. That means our QComp focus should turn, quite fully, to compensation for our efforts this year. The payment has multiple components, and it is important to understand each and the payment’s timing.

First, the Individual Award (QComp MOU Section 4, Subd. 1) is $2,300 for teachers (this should say “educators”) who have completed their observation cycle and demonstrated proficiency through those observations. Half of the award will be issued on the June 30 paycheck. The other half is deposited into a post-employment VEBA (Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association) account. The VEBA account is managed by OneBridge, and the funds in the account may be utilized for medical expenses, including health insurance premiums, after retirement.

There is also a PLC Award for each teacher (again, this should say “educator”) taking part in a PLC that achieves a goal approved by the QComp Steering Committee. This award is $1. The final payment awarded is for teachers working in a site that achieves its annual student achievement goal. This award is also $1. These awards will, most likely, be included on the June 30 pay date, but they must be delivered within 30 days of appropriate data becoming available.

Link to EPEA Contract

Guidance from Your Member Rights Advocate

If you are in need of support at an administration meeting, believe there is a contract violation, or have a performance/conduct-related support request, please connect with Carla Thompson

(Lead MRA) cthompson@edenpr.org or 952-240-6577

Member Benefits:

Built In Benefits With Membership

ESI PerksConnect - discounts to area activities and restaurants
NEA Discount Marketplace - discount tickets and travel programs
NEA Mental Health Program
AFT Trauma counseling program

Join us May 17 for Our End-of-Session Rally at the Capitol

Join educators from across the state for the Education Minnesota end-of-session rally:

Strong Schools and Strong Pensions at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 17, in the state Capitol Rotunda.

Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders are expected to be in final negotiations on the state budget the weekend before the Legislature adjourns on Monday, May 19. This will be a critical time to make our voices heard loudly on investments in strong pensions and strong public schools!

Strong Schools & Strong Pensions Rally

Saturday, May 17

1 p.m. doors open; 1:30 p.m. rally starts

State Capitol Rotunda

Please register in advance online!

Education Minnesota members may have mileage and parking reimbursed (up to $8).

2025 Legislative Wrap-Ups: May 20 and 22

The 2025 Minnesota Legislature is scheduled to adjourn May 19. Here's how you can learn what did and didn't happen at the Capitol this year:

Initial Legislative Update: Tuesday, May 20, 4:30 p.m. Education Minnesota Facebook page. This initial report will be a short update – did the Legislature finish its work? If so, we will do a short, live summary on Education Minnesota's Facebook page. If they don't finish, are we looking at a special session? And what’s next? We'll update you on the latest.
Full Legislative Wrap-Up: Thursday, May 22, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Zoom meeting. If the Legislature finishes its work on May 19, we will have a more comprehensive wrap up of everything that happened. If they haven’t reached a deal and don’t have their work done, this event will be rescheduled. Register here for the legislative wrap-up Zoom meeting.

May 5 (April 30 ) School Board Meeting

The board convened on Monday, May 5 to complete the business originally scheduled for April 30, which was canceled due to the threat of inclement weather. Director Ross was absent from the meeting, due to a scheduling conflict, and Director Libsack was a late arrival, for the same reason. The board’s Spotlight on Success featured outdoor learning, which is a point of community importance, taking place at Forest Hills.

The majority of the meeting was dedicated to finances. The board will, most likely, end the year roughly $2,000 under budget. The district presented, and the board approved, a capital budget composing roughly $30 million in available funds. The largest categories of spending will be technology ($10.5 million), building maintenance ($9 million), and lease levies ($2 million). The district continues to explore cost-saving measures. In support of the practice, the district adopted a lease for 1,100 staff MacBook Airs (13”) for 0% financing across a 4-year term, which will cost $241,725, annually. The district will also purchase 1,800 iPads (K and 3rd grade) and 1,000 MacBooks (9th grade) for students, directly. The district is also exploring the automation of daily cleaning and maintenance practice as an effort to lower expenses. A line of questions regarding an additional dome structure was short-lived with a multi-million-dollar price tag.

During the Superintendent’s Consent Agenda, Director Strehl led a line of questioning regarding student publications and the district’s ability to restrict the speech of students and staff. District policy has been altered to align with state statute that further protects staff and students’ rights to free speech in school publications. Director Strehl voiced concern for the dilution of the EP brand in allowing disagreeable speech next to EP logos or in official EP publications. Assistant Superintendent Virgin noted there are ten specific carve-outs and Superintendent Swanson enjoined his support for students’ right for free expression. The policy edit was, ultimately, approved unanimously.

In the legislative update, Directors Strehl and Casper noted a recent meeting with Eden Prairie’s representatives at the capitol. In the meeting, the board members noted the financial burden that accompanies unemployment insurance for hourly school workers. The current framework for hourly unemployment insurance will cost the district roughly $1 million this year, which will largely be funded through the general fund. With an inability to levy the funds, the board’s position is quite unified in stating the unemployment program pulls dollars directly from our classrooms.

Finally, the board will reinstate Debjioty “DD” Dwivedy as the first action at the May 27th board meeting, as his deployment has drawn to a close.