(RepublicanNews.org) – Elected officials are supposed to stand up for the people they represent. US Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) recently did her part by attending a Minnesota rally to secure fair wages and better working conditions for teachers.
Omar stood with teachers and students outside the local district office during the March 14 rally. She spoke at length about Minnesota’s nearly $9 billion budget surplus, arguing that the state should spend it on matters of importance, such as educating children.
“In our state, we are so full of resources that we have over $9B in surplus! We should be proud of that, but that should go to spent on meaningful things, like educating our children.” — Congresswoman Ilhan Omar @IlhanMN #SafeAndStableSchools @MFT59 pic.twitter.com/jsM3GcE2yU
— Minneapolis DFL (@MinneapolisDFL) March 14, 2022
Omar also shared her view on the indignity of educators who wake up every day and teach children but still have to beg for a living wage.
Salary, especially for education support professionals, remains a sore spot for the union. It is currently asking the MPS to raise the minimum wage for educators to $35,000/year — nearly $9,000 higher than the current $24,000 minimum. The increase, if passed, would cost the state around $16 million.
Sources say the district recently issued counteroffers, although it isn’t clear exactly what or how much it proposed as of the time this article was written. The figures are allegedly the closest they’ve ever been to the union’s demands.
The district admits it feels the same way as the union and those representing it. However, it also responded by clarifying that it can’t afford to boost salaries after suffering a multimillion-dollar budget loss. While the state itself may be flush, the district is not.
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