Community speakers urge board to resolve teacher contract, protect specials and safety

Dozens of community members used the board'9s public comment period to press trustees to end an ongoing teacher contract dispute and to protect programs and safety in Ann Arbor Public Schools.

Multiple parents and students described concrete impacts they say stem from the labor impasse. Student Della Bank told the board that cancelled orchestra trips and club shutdowns have harmed students'9 extracurricular opportunities. Parent Adelaide Lancaster said she represented an open letter signed by more than 1,200 community members asking the board not to approve new spending until three years of district budgets are released and the contract dispute is resolved. "Decisions about the shape of AAPS must be based on clear financials," Lancaster said.

Several speakers emphasized threats to elementary "specials"—art, music, PE and library—if planning minutes or staffing are reduced. April Magar, an art teacher at Logan Elementary and special‑area caucus chair, told trustees that cuts to planning time would translate into the elimination or displacement of nearly one‑third of elementary specials teachers and urged the board to "pursue a funding solution that does not compromise the education of the children in our care."

Union leaders and paraeducator representatives framed the dispute in staffing and retention terms. Fred Klein, president of the Ann Arbor Education Association, summarized bargaining status and said the union was pressing for competitive wages and benefits while opposing contract concessions that would worsen classroom conditions. Claire Arthurs, president of AEAP (paraeducators), reported roughly 44 paraeducator vacancies across half the district and argued that reduced pay previously correlated with larger staffing shortages.

Speakers tied safety and special‑education supports to financial and staffing decisions. Parent Sonia Chala said teachers reported nonfunctional door locks, windows that don'9t operate, and faulty PA systems; she asked what steps the district had taken since she provided survey data months earlier. Dan Green, a parent of a 7‑year‑old with autism, said he feared personalized supports for his child would vanish as the contract dispute continued and urged the board to "get together and lock in" contract terms.

The board did not respond to public comment during the period; superintendent Parks said staff would follow up individually on specific safety concerns and noted that district budgets for prior years are publicly available. Trustees heard the public comments before business and later took multiple actions on the consent agenda and administrative hires.