Hermitage teachers and the school board took a snow day Monday and canceled their negotiating session after a storm covered the Shenango Valley in about 6 inches of snow.

The two sides rescheduled the meeting for 7 tonight in the school's Central Administration Building, which is connected to Artman Elementary School.

The 165-member Hermitage Education Association has been on strike since Thursday after bargaining reached an impasse last Tuesday.

The two sides have been negotiating since January 2001. Teachers have been working without a contract since their previous agreement expired in July.

The sticking point is pay raises. The union and the school board are $1,100 apart on raises, with teachers seeking $2,700-a-year and the school board offering $1,600. Compounding the problem is a lack of movement on the two offers, according to the union. The board said Monday it is very comfortable with its offer.

If no resolution comes tonight, teachers could stay on the picket line up three more days before they have to reclass, according to Act 88, the state law which covers contract negotiations. Act 88 was designed to end lengthy teachers strikes.

If the strike lasts the full seven days, students would not go back to school until Monday. In that case, under state law, the last day of school would be June 14, so that students are in class the required 180 days.

Before the strike, the last day of school was set for June 5.