Both the Hermitage teachers and the school board say they are hoping a meeting at 7 tonight will resolve the strike that is in its third day.

"We're meeting at the request of the association," Board President Duane Piccirilli said this morning, referring to the 165-member Hermitage Education Association. "We're anxious to sit down and talk with them. We want to see their best offer. But again, we feel that our offer is more in the range of settlement."

The teachers have been on strike since Thursday and can stay on the picket line for up to seven days, according to the formula from Act 88, the state law which covers contract negotiations.

But HEA chief negotiator Paul Estock, a sixth-grade teacher, said he and his colleagues want to get back to work. "Our purpose for meeting tonight is getting a contract and to end this action," he said. "We never said our offer was final; we've always been willing to move downward. But we'd like to see movement on both sides."

The difference between them -- the board's offer of $1,600-a-year vs. the HEA's request for $2,700-a-year salary increases -- has kept the two sides apart. Negotiations began in January 2001.

Though HEA has said publicly it is willing to lower its request, the board has made it clear it feels its offer is fair just about where it stands. The board took out an ad in Saturday's Herald detailing its offer and comparing it to the teachers' request.

The HEA's previous five-year contract, which expired in July, gave the teachers about $2,000 a year, according to Eugene Fornadel, district business manager.

"That's not saying we're refusing to negotiate. We're there to listen," said Piccirilli. "But the board feels really comfortable with that $1,600 range."

If no resolution is made and the strike continues for the seven days, students will not go back to school until next Monday, and the last day of school will be June 14, to reach the state-mandated 180 days of class. Before the strike, the last day of school was set for June 5.

"We need some show of faith from the board. This contract will be settled at the table, not with the media," said Marcus Schlegel, communications/operating program specialist for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, speaking on behalf of the HEA. "They need to be serious about negotiating, because we are."