Teachers have hit the picket lines at public schools across Minneapolis, calling their strike a fight to ensure “safe and stable schools” for students and for better wages for the lowest-paid support staff
“We all have real jobs,” said Molly Dengler, whose first-grade son attends a Spanish immersion elementary school in downtown Minneapolis. “Maybe today they could call out of work, but it’s not sustainable to keep calling out of work.”
"We have all these priorities that we want to have happen. And we don't have the resources. And someone's got to be able to say, 'I'm sorry, I can't do it,'" Graff said.According to the Association of Metropolitan School Districts, Twin Cities-area districts face a combined shortfall of more than $230 million for the 2022-23 school year.
Suzanna and Bryan Altman plan to sign up their third-grade daughter, Annette, for a day camp that offers classes and activities in science and technology. The Altmans, who both work in technology, made it through remote school days of Annette’s first- and second-grade years because they worked from home and set up a mini pod with another family. They consider themselves lucky to have “a lot of resources available to us,” including willing grandmothers.