Once filled with the chatter of clubs, classrooms now sit hushed after school hours. Every Wednesday, hallways are dotted with blue “Support Ann Arbor teachers” shirts. Blue signs stating “I am utilizing my contractual hours” hang at every other closed classroom door.
Students need those doors to be open again.
We at The Skyline Post stand by our teachers. Here is why you should, too.
THE PROBLEM:
Many teachers work second jobs alongside their jobs as educators in order to sustain a livelihood. Educators have already fled the district in favor of other, higher-paying jobs. More will be forced to follow suit if teacher salaries do not rise to match the inflated costs of living.
Many of AAPS’ teachers live outside of Ann Arbor, making the commute every day to and from work. Some drive hours just to get home, eat dinner, and see their families before hitting the books again. When they are finally able to breathe and take a break, it’s bedtime. The cycle continues. When does it stop?
Years upon years of accepting wage freezes, working too much for too little, and demanding what’s due have taken their toll on Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) teachers. Teachers were further strained when the 2023-2024 school year ended with the unsavory aftertaste of pink slips and involuntary transfers following the $25 million budget crisis.
When the current round of contract negotiations with the district failed to reach resolution and state-mediated sessions commenced, AAPS educators entered January 2026 working under an expired and outdated contract. On February 2nd, the Ann Arbor Educator Association (AAEA) announced their work-to-rule action. Work-to-rule action is a form of protest in which employees perform their jobs strictly to the minimum stated in their contracts.
As part of this work-to-rule action, teachers across AAPS now work only during contractual hours (7:45 a.m. – 3:06 p.m.). Extracurricular activities not covered by stipend pay have paused.
Classroom doors are not only closed to students after school, but during lunch and planning periods as well. Classrooms have always been a safe haven for students who otherwise find it difficult to eat lunch in the noisy cafeteria environment. Additionally, students were previously able to make up tests over lunch; they now must wait until class periods to do so, missing valuable class content as a result.
Another door for opportunity that risks being closed to students is letters of recommendation. Rather than the AAEA collectively deciding whether or not to write requested letters of recommendation, it is now up to individual teachers’ discretion; the union recommends teachers to write only ten letters. If a teacher feels they have the capacity to write a letter within their contractual hours, they will write it.
However, if the teacher feels they cannot get it done in that allotted time, many students may face rejection. Teachers don’t want to reject students and letters, but they also must remain firm in their stance. [Note: It’s best for current juniors to start asking teachers now, so that teachers can have plenty of time; letters of recommendation will take longer than they did prior to work-to-rule action.]
On graduation day, the teachers will not be in the building to attend the ceremony. Since AAPS has moved all high school graduations to Saturday, June 6th, graduation is neither during contractual hours nor on a weekday. Teachers are currently working on ways to show their love and support for you as you walk the stage. They want to be there for you, and this is how they can be.
As students, we have plenty to worry about. Grades, extracurriculars, friends, health; the list goes on. When we see our beloved teachers worn thin, we feel it with them. We understand that collective action is important. If it wasn’t, why would they be giving 110% of their dedication to make change?
The Skyline Post stands beside the Ann Arbor Educator Association. Whatever they decide, we as students will help teachers in any way necessary. Even if that means giving up club meetings on Mondays or one-on-one tutoring on Thursdays. Teachers do so much for us already, and our understanding is how we can show our appreciation.
OUR CALL TO THE DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION:
Teachers should not consistently bear the burden of budget mismanagement in such an affluent district. Ann Arbor does not have less money than its surrounding districts, yet its teachers are paid significantly less than their neighboring counterparts.
The AAPS Board seems to be content with the status quo. But complacency does not create equilibrium; it breeds resentment. In these tug-of-war negotiations, continuing to pull for the status quo only frays the rope. This benefits no one in the long term.
Both sides of the conflict claim to have students’ best interests at heart. However, The Board’s actions have only put students’ opportunities in peril. Our school district’s motto is “Lead. Care. Inspire.” As the Board of Education, it’s time to hold yourself to the same level of excellence as you do your educators.
According to the AAEA, AAPS receives more money per pupil than the majority of our neighboring districts, yet you say that we do not have enough money to raise our teachers’ pay. If we don’t have the money, then where is it going? Make it make sense. Be transparent with the community that is affected; tell us where the teaching and learning budget has gone. Give the public a more detailed budget breakdown.
Work together with educators to create better contracts that support teaching as a liveable career. Compete with the salaries of other districts. Stop capping your coverage of teacher healthcare premiums at below 80%, the minimum that will be mandated once House Bill 6058 is signed into effect. Had the recent Tentative Agreement been passed, it would have cornered teachers into an even more stagnant salary and an even wider gap in insurance coverage. It was rejected by a resounding 99.6% of AAEA members.
Your negligence towards teachers has trickled down to taint student success. Not being able to count on letters of recommendation is a great risk for juniors, who have been making future plans. Seniors’ last year at AAPS has been spent without the solace of many of the teachers who have helped them get through high school. We are all missing the community and opportunity clubs provide, as well as the one-on-one tutoring teachers have offered.
What will you do to make amends for the harm you’ve done?
When will you invest in your educators, to invest in your students?
If you do not listen to the pleas of your own teachers, who will you listen to?
TO STUDENTS AND PARENTS:
In no district should it be the norm for students to watch their teachers line up at the drop-off circle in order to protest district wrongdoings.
Parents: Advocate for transparency and for where you want your money to go. Exercise your voice by signing petitions (list linked here). Attend board meetings and send letters to the Board of Education. If you can, donate to mutual aid organizations such as the Teachers Community Fund (TCF). Follow and join efforts by AAPS Community United and the AAEA.
Students: continue to stand alongside our teachers. Let their advocacy be a model for our future workplace norms.
Teachers may not have their doors open to students, but their hearts remain open. If our district loses these remarkable educators who have raised generations, who will be there to raise the next?
