The Teachers Union, representatives from the Finance Ministry, and Education Minister Yoav Kisch (Likud) on Tuesday morning met to attempt to bridge the gaps and reach agreements, so as to allow Israeli high schools to begin the new school year on Wednesday. However, agreements were not reached during the meeting, and the strike is expected to continue. High schools throughout Israel have been striking since Sunday , after attempts to reach agreements failed. Related articles: Drama on school flight to Poland Hundreds of pairs of tefillin distributed to Israeli schools Education Minister: Principal who announced strike is a criminal Principals call off school in protest of ISA chief's removal Kisch called on both sides to recover themselves: "There is no reason to continue negotiations, in light of the positions of the Union, which only go backwards," he said. Teachers Union chair Ran Erez claimed that there is no "new" plan, and that Kisch's offer means that teachers will receive an additional 2,000 NIS each month, but only in three years from now and not retroactively. According to him, the second issue under discussion is the Education and Finance ministries' demand that six percent of high school teachers be paid through personal contracts. The Finance Ministry is also demanding that the union cease what have become its annual beginning-of-year strikes until 2028. Erez opposes this demand, and wishes to maintain the right to strike over any issue for which agreements have not yet been reached.
