Day 4 Of Mpls. Educator Strike: Volunteers Gather To Tutor Kids In North Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Educators are now on day four of their strike in Minneapolis with no deal in immediate sight.

The union and school district continue to debate classroom sizes, mental health support and wage increases.

Educators on strike picketed across the city Friday morning, gathering on overpasses and at various schools across Minneapolis. As teachers strike, parents have struggled to figure out what to do with their kids while they're not in class.

"We are just going to have fun. That's really what they do," said parent Kelly Jackson.

Doors may be closed at Minneapolis schools, but they remain open at Shiloh Temple in North Minneapolis.

All week long North High students and parent volunteers have been gathering there to make food, tutor each other, and do activities.

"We do arts and crafts. We just did a Lego set. It was pretty big, like an Eiffel Tower Lego set," said Ramiyah Jackson.

Jackson is North's student council president. She and her mom Kelly helped organize the get-together. They say Minneapolis students have been through a lot with distance learning, the shooting death of Deshaun Hill, and now a strike.

"It does concern us but we are resilient. We will figure it out," said Kelly.

"For some kids the teacher is their first parent. Teachers are a lot to us. We are with them all the time, every day. They should be getting paid what they deserve," said Ramiyah.

Another Minneapolis parent says she also supports teachers but doesn't believe in the strike.

"I made the decision in February to leave the union and not participate in any kind of strike activities," said Jessie Begert.

Begert is a teacher at Hall STEM Academy and her kids go to Minneapolis's Sheridan School. Begert worries about lost instructional time for students. She believes the focus should be more on recruiting and retaining teachers of color.

"Settling that and tabling some of the licensed teacher demands for wage increases. That wasn't as important to me," said Begert.

Begert said she's received support but also had people question her solidarity.

"I do hope it ends soon and I really hope we prioritize what's needed for kids in Minneapolis," said Begert.