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With contracts unsettled for nearly a year, Brainerd educators rally

KAXE | By Chelsey Perkins
Published May 13, 2026 at 8:33 AM CDT
Educators and supporters at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins
/
KAXE
Educators and supporters hold a variety of signs at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.

More than 350 educators and community members assembled along Oak Street to call attention to the unsettled union contracts ahead of the May 11, 2026, School Board meeting.

BRAINERD — Most educators in the Brainerd School District have been working without a contract since last June.

The local union, Education Minnesota-Brainerd, hosted an "Unsettled" rally ahead of the Monday night, May 11, School Board meeting.

More than 350 educators and community members assembled to call attention to the unsettled union contracts with the district's teachers, education support professionals and food service workers. The picketing took place along Oak Street, outside the Washington Educational Services Building.

The rally included some students, like 18-year-old senior Sadie Albrecht and her younger brother Will Albrecht, 15, a freshman.

"It just really upsets me because they have always been here for us, they’ve always supported us, and they’ve just been great towards us students," Sadie said.

Brainerd freshman Will Albrecht, left, and Brainerd senior Sadie Albrecht pose with their nephew Kaysen at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins
/
KAXE
Brainerd freshman Will Albrecht, left, and Brainerd senior Sadie Albrecht pose with their nephew Kaysen at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.

It’s been 315 days since contracts expired. Dave Borash is a social studies teacher and has been with the district since 2000. He is also the 2026 Teacher of the Year, an honor he earned for the second time in his career.

He said the drawn-out process is really weighing on him and his colleagues.

“You want to walk in, you want to hold your head high, and you want to feel like you’re part of something that’s special," Borash said. "And it’s kind of hard to do that lately.”

Misty Jobe is the teacher's union president and a 22-year district teacher, currently teaching English at Brainerd Learning Center. She said they want to see their contracts mirror the state average for increases. Brainerd is lagging behind area districts when it comes to compensation, she added.

Educators and supporters line the street holding "Unsettled" signs at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins
/
KAXE
Educators and supporters line the street holding "Unsettled" signs at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.

“We have sort of become increasingly frustrated by the narrative that’s been presented by the district that we are overcompensated and that our health benefits are too generous," Jobe said. "We have traded other things in the past to be able to maintain the quality of the healthcare that we have.”

More than an hour of the public comment period during Monday's Board meeting included teachers and other educational professionals sharing their viewpoints on the contract issues. In comments at the end of the meeting, Superintendent Peter Grant said he feels anxiety among those in the buildings about the district's financial picture and ongoing threats of budget cuts.

Union President Misty Jobe, left, and another Brainerd educator stand at a sign-making station at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins
/
KAXE
Union President Misty Jobe, left, and another Brainerd educator stand at a sign-making station at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.

“We’ve been one year in negotiating contracts, and we’ve only settled one. That’s another piece of anxiety," Grant said. "People want to get that settled. I get that. Easier said than done.”

Grant did not return an emailed request for comment on Tuesday.

Like many other school districts, Brainerd is facing budgetary challenges. But unlike many other districts, it does not have a voter-approved operating levy. The Board is considering a levy and elementary school consolidation, with a new superintendent taking the helm in July.

Jobe said right-sizing the district and compensating teachers fairly are not mutually exclusive.

A person chooses a handmade sign to wave at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
1 of 8  — Brainerd Unsettled Rally 5-11-26 2
A person chooses a handmade sign to wave at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins / KAXE
Educators and supporters wave and cheer as passing vehicles honk in support at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
2 of 8  — Brainerd Unsettled Rally 6 5-11-26
Educators and supporters wave and cheer as passing vehicles honk in support at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins / KAXE
Educators and supports hold signs at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
3 of 8  — Brainerd Unsettled Rally 4 5-11-26
Educators and supports hold signs, including one stating, "You can't value students while devaluing teachers," at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins / KAXE
Hundreds of attendees line Oak Street at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
4 of 8  — Brainerd Unsettled Rally 8 5-11-26
Hundreds of attendees line Oak Street at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins / KAXE
Educators and supports wear black and hold "Unsettled" signs at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
5 of 8  — Brainerd Unsettled Rally 7 5-11-26
Educators and supports wear black and hold "Unsettled" signs at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins / KAXE
Hot dogs, chips and cookies are available to attendees at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
6 of 8  — Brainerd Unsettled Rally 12 5-11-26.JPG
Hot dogs, chips and cookies are available to attendees at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins / KAXE
A bin of homemade signs sits next to a sign-making station at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
7 of 8  — Brainerd Unsettled Rally 5 5-11-26
A bin of homemade signs sits next to a sign-making station at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins / KAXE
Markers, chalk and other sign-making materials are arranged on a table at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
8 of 8  — Brainerd Unsettled Rally 10 5-11-26.JPG
Markers, chalk and other sign-making materials are arranged on a table at a rally organized by Education Minnesota-Brainerd outside the Washington Educational Services Building, where Brainerd School Board meetings take place, on May 11, 2026.
Chelsey Perkins / KAXE

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Local News LaborEducationEducation fundingBrainerdBrainerd School DistrictNorth Central MinnesotaKAXE
Chelsey Perkins
Chelsey Perkins became the News Director in early 2023 and was tasked with building a new local newsroom at the station. She is based in Brainerd and leads a team of two reporters covering communities across Northern Minnesota from the KAXE studio in Grand Rapids and the KBXE studio in Bemidji.
See stories by Chelsey Perkins
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