Me: I am a parent of two children in the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS). My children have attended Armatage Montessori School and have received an excellent education there. My children have had wonderful teachers in MPS, and I believe that highly skilled teachers have been the single most important element in my children's education so far. I have been active in the Armatage parent community, as part of the PTA and the Site Council. As I have worked to sustain and improve our school, I have tried to understand the forces that shape our school. I have come to understand that the single most important element that shapes our school is the contract between The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) and The Minneapolis Public Schools.

However, the details about how the MFT contract is created are shrouded in mystery. As I kept running into contract rules and I kept being told that the contract was created in secretive sessions, I became more intrigued with understanding just how the contract was created. As the 2007 contract negotiations started, I started asking questions. These questions eventually led me to an observer's seat in the negotiations. I was apparently the first "outside" person to observe this process.

In my notes from the negotiation sessions, I have chosen to not identify the speakers, except for Emma Hixson (the administration's chief negotiator) and Rob Panning-Miller (MFT's chief negotiator). I believe that the content of the conversation is the important element, not the individual speakers, but Emma and Rob have unique roles as leaders and their comments generally have greater weight than other members or the discussion. I refer to all members of the MFT negotiation team as "teachers" although some are not currently classroom teachers, and I refer to all members of the administration negotiation team as "administrators", although they serve a variety of roles, including at least three that are/were principals.

MFT TEACHER NEGOTIATIONS TEAM:
Robert Panning-Miller, MFT President
Barb Boerboon, Teacher at Jefferson School
Brionna Harder, Teacher at Henry High School
Janet Kujat, Teacher at Dowling School
Susan Backus, Teacher at Seward School
Beverly Hermanstorfer, Teacher at Transition Plus School
Carla Korb, Teacher at Northeast Middle School
John Heegard, Teacher at North High School
Anne Lewerenz, Teacher at Dowling School
Frank Suppa, Teacher at Dowling School
Michael Bedard, Teacher at Kenwood and Whittier Schools
Lynn Nordgren, Teacher on Special assignment (TOSA), works on ATPPS
Lyle Young, Teacher at Harrison School
Teferi Fufa, Teacher at Marcy Open School
Mike Leiter, MFT Business Officer
Bonita Jones, MFT Business Officer

MPS ADMINISTRATION NEGOTIATION TEAM
Emma Hixson, Executive Director Employee Relations
Steve Liss, Director of Inter-Governmental Affairs
Tom Hegranes, Director of Special Education [no longer with MPS]
Armando Camarcho, Principal of Whittier School [no longer with MPS]
Lucy Kapp, Social Emotional Competence Coordinator (!)
Dan Loewenson, Board and Community Liaison
Linda Nelson, Principal of South High School
Ava Nielsen, Director of Staffing
Eleanor Coleman, Chief of Student Support, Family, & Community Services
Carla Steinbach, Principal Edison High School
Mike Favor, Principal North High School [no longer with MPS]
Anne Wade, Assistant Principal of Lake Harriet School
Bernadeia Johnson, Cheif Academic Officer
Von Sheppard, Associate Superintendent [no longer with MPS]
Mitch Trockman, District Operations Specialist
Pat Pratt-Cook, Human Resources
Laurie Steiger, Senior Employee Relations Associate