Both outside Wednesday's school board meeting and inside, dozens of Lordstown teachers, along with parents, students and supporters, made sure they'd be heard.

"If you think for one minute having people cross the picket lines that they're gonna do a good job for you, and teach these kids in this community the way these teachers do, you are sadly mistaken," said retired teacher Karen Nelson during public comment.

The teachers union approved issuing a 10-day strike notice last Friday, which superintendent Greg Bonamase says he hasn't gotten.
He and the board offered three percent raises with no changes to insurance each of the next three years, an offer he says is above the state average.

The two sides haven't been to the bargaining table since March, when the union rejected that offer.

"We want to negotiate, we want to come back in, we want to be invited in to negotiate," said union representative Brian Rust. "And we aren't being invited in to negotiate."

Bonamase says that's because a mediator hasn't called to set another meeting. When we asked him if he or the board could contact the mediator, he said "we plan on contacting the mediator." When asked when, he replied "as soon as we contact with our board attorney."

Bonamase says he plans to have the school year start on time no matter what come September 3.
Until then, the odds of the school year starting with a new contract continue to dwindle.