High school classrooms across the country remained empty Monday morning after talks between the high school teachers' union and the government broke down Sunday night.

Secondary School Teachers' Association head Ran Erez met with Finance Ministry Director-General Yarom Ariav and Wages Director Eli Cohen, as well as with Education Minister Yuli Tamir and Histadrut national labor union leader Ofer Eini.

A proposal by Eini to immediately raise salaries by 13.5 percent while continuing to discuss smaller class sizes and increased teaching hours was turned down by the government. The teachers' union had previously dropped its initial demand for a wage hike from 20 percent to 15 percent. The finance ministry agreed to an 8.5% salary increase last week, which the teachers turned down.

The sticking point was reportedly the issue of the number of students in classrooms, which the Finance Ministry refused to cut...

Despite the difference in the numbers, there was agreement on all sides that teachers' salaries need to be raised. "The only question is what the teachers are offering in return," explained Ariav prior to the meeting. "As important as wages are, the real matter at hand is how we can better the education system for students."

Erez echoed Ariav's contention that education reforms are needed but said the Finance Ministry was holding back the process.

"They aren't genuinely interested in reforming the country's education – they are only willing to discuss the salary demands and then, as far as they are concerned, we can just go back to the overcrowded classrooms," he said.

A massive show of support Saturday night by tens of thousands of parents, teachers and students underscored the grassroots support for the teachers. Calls for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to personally intervene to end the strike, now in its 36th day, were rebuffed.

"We don't need extraneous dramas," said Olmert earlier in the day at an event in Be'er Sheva. "We don't need the Prime Minister to sit down with the head of the SSTA (Secondary School Teachers' Association). It's enough that the Education Minister and Finance Minister do so."

It is not clear when the next round of talks will be held.