More than 900 Ann Arbor parents call for school budget details as teachers work without contract
More than 900 Ann Arbor Public Schools parents have signed a petition demanding greater financial transparency from the district as teachers continue working without a contract.
The petition calls for the district to release detailed budgets from the past three years and to pause additional spending until those budgets are made public. Parents also want the ongoing contract dispute resolved before the district finalizes next school year's budget.
The teachers' previous contract expired at the end of 2025, and negotiations have continued through two rounds of state-mediated talks.
"When we talk to other people and even school board members, we're often asked, 'What would you cut [from the budget]?' And absolutely no one can give a meaningful answer to what would you cut unless they actually know where the money is going," said Jen Oldham, an Ann Arbor Public Schools parent with three children in the district.
She added that teachers have told her they are working multiple jobs to make ends meet.
"Teachers I know are saying they're having to work second and third jobs and that they can't afford to be teachers unless the district can find a way to pay them more," she said. "And absolutely nothing is more important in a school than the teachers."
The petition also asks for a new teachers contract to be resolved before the district puts together the upcoming school year's budget.
The district issued a statement with their perspective on the contract negotiations, saying:
"The Ann Arbor Public Schools is engaged in a mediated bargaining process with our teachers. We want to provide competitive wages to attract and retain high quality employees while remaining fiscally responsible to preserve the overall long term health of the district.
Until a new contract is reached, our educators and staff remain covered under the terms of the most recent contracts, as required by law. The current AAEA collective bargaining agreement includes provisions for compensation for after school events and clubs.
The Ann Arbor Public Schools will continue bargaining with all employee groups in good faith."
The Ann Arbor Education Association vice president said they don't feel they and the district are anywhere close to a fair resolution through two rounds of state-mediated negotiations.
The district and union are coming together once again on Thursday, March 26 for another round of state-mediated negotiations in hopes of making progress on a new contract.