Tentative agreement reached between Minneapolis educators, district

A tentative agreement has been reached between Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) and the union that represents teachers and staff. 

MPS at 4 a.m. Friday said it is looking forward to welcoming back students and staff on Monday, March 28, pending a vote from the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT 59) and Education Support Professionals (ESPs) on the agreement. 

In a news conference at 9 a.m. Friday, Superintendent Ed Graff said he believes this is a "fair contract" for teachers and education support professionals. Graff said the district is "really looking forward" to welcoming students back into classrooms on Monday. 

Minneapolis School Board Chair Kim Ellison thanked teachers, staff, families, students, as well as the negotiating teams who've worked for 21 days to come to a tentative agreement. 

In a statement, MFT 59 said "These historic agreements contain important wins for our students and the safe and stable schools they deserve. These deals are what 4,500 MFT members went on strike for," according to MPR News. "It is important to note that major gains were made on pay for education support professionals, protections for educators of color, class size caps and mental health supports."

The union is expected to hold a news conference Monday afternoon. 

Specific terms of the tentative agreement haven't been released but could be soon. Graff said Friday that specific terms of the tentative agreements, including on hiring and retaining teachers of color, will be released within hours or days. 

Meanwhile, Graff says the district is meeting with MFT 59 at 10 a.m., and after that, the district should be able to release some information about making up the missed school days. 

Teachers and educators went on strike on March 8, keeping nearly 30,000 students out of school for more than two weeks. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.