The strike hit at midnight. And by about 6 a.m., the first of some 385 teachers, guidance counselors and other professional staff were lining up on sidewalks.

Shelly Jackson, a consultant with the Ohio Education Association, says the teachers want to keep talking.

“They would rather be in their classrooms right now with the students. And we’re waiting for the board to make that phone call. We’re waiting with the federal mediator. We could go right now.”

But Strongsville Superintendent John Krupinski says no one has made the mediator offer directly to him. In any case, he says, the administration doesn’t have anything else to bring to the table other than its last offer.  

“We’ve had unfunded mandates. Our revenues are decreasing. We must remain in the black, and therefore we have a very fair proposal on the table that has some concessions, especially in health care because health-care costs are staggering.”

But the sticking point for many teachers appears to be a proposal by the board that would eliminate some automatic raises based on seniority and on teachers getting advance degrees.