Minneapolis teachers last week ratified a new, two-year contract that will give principals more control over who teaches at their schools.
The contract, reached after nine months of turbulent negotiations between the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and the school district, creates an interviewing process for the assignment of teachers.
At each school, the principal, along with another administrator and two teachers, will form a committee to interview for open teacher jobs. The group will interview at least 10 teachers for each position, including five senior teachers.
The new interviewing process replaces the decades-old seniority system used in the 36,000-student district.
Under the contract, teachers will receive a 2 percent raise for the 2007-08 school year, and a 1 percent raise next school year. They will also receive a one-time payment of $750 next year.
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