WARREN, Pa. – After negotiations dramatically closed the gap between the two sides Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, the representatives for the striking teachers union were prepared to set up bargaining again this week.

“We wanted to meet both (Thursday) and Friday,” Pennsylvania State Education Association Representative Marcus Schlegel said on Thursday. The Warren County School District (WCSD) team “told us they were not able to because of the non-mandatory conference they are attending in Hershey.”

The Warren County Education Association (WCEA) team did not include that information in a Wednesday press release.

“We should have included that in our release,” Schlegel said. “We decided to take a little bit of a high road.”

When the WCEA team heard the district team was not available the discussion moved to later dates.

“They offered to meet over the weekend,” Schlegel said.

According to the district’s labor counsel, Patrick Fanelli, the district team suggested a possible meeting on Saturday, which didn’t work for the union team, according to Schlegel.

Fanelli said the district suggested a Sunday meeting. Schlegel said one member on each side had a problem with that.

So, the next negotiating session between the two groups is set for Wednesday and the strike will go on for another week, assuming the parties do not come to an agreement before the next bargaining session.

It didn’t have to be that way, Schlegel said. “We were willing to meet Thursday and Friday. They said no.”

WCEA President Louise Tharp said the board’s leaders were in the room and heard that offer to meet sooner rather than later.

“That a school board member would skip over that offer was offensive to the WCEA team,” Schlegel said.

On Wednesday, board Vice President Arthur Stewart said, “the teachers’ first available date was next Wednesday.”

Schlegel said “people are making an assumption on the character and willingness” of the WCEA negotiating team based on that statement.