With a possible teachers strike looming without a new contract, the Mars School Board and Mars Area Education Association will return to the bargaining table on Wednesday.

Perhaps with the threat of a disruption of classes now on the table, there will be additional determination for the two sides to engage in more give-and-take.

Not enough determination was exhibited between May and now, with only five negotiations sessions having taken place.

The board twice approved a report by a state fact-finder that would have become a contract if approved by the teachers. But, the teachers rejected it, forcing additional bargaining that, for whatever reason, wasn’t intensely pursued over the summer.

The education association, which approved a one-year pay freeze for the 2011-12 school year that saved two teachers’ jobs and helped the district deal with financial constraints, now expects some compensation for that generous gesture. That’s reasonable, although the teachers shouldn’t expect to recoup everything they lost through the freeze.

The district still has serious financial constraints. The lack of a significant increase of state aid, because of the state’s own financial problems, has made the Mars contract a conundrum with no easy solution.

To the credit of both sides, a friendly negotiations environment remains in place, although the teachers are becoming increasingly impatient.

The union says it is willing to meet as often as possible until a settlement is reached. If the board hopes to avoid a strike, it should have the same attitude.

Amid all of that, both sides must acknowledge that the best negotiated pact is one about which neither side is totally happy. Therefore, both the school district’s negotiators and the education association will have to be more flexible.

Perhaps the new district tactic of having all board members present at Wednesday’s session and any that might follow will help break some new ground in the talks.

At least board members will have the opportunity to gauge the situation up close, rather than through reports from the negotiations team, which would not be the same as being there.

The education association hasn’t announced a strike date, but on Sept. 26 what was described as an “overwhelming number” of teachers voted to authorize a work stoppage if talks remain stalled.

Meanwhile, a state mediator has been assigned to the negotiations.

“We will continue to have the good relationship we have always had with the MAEA,” said Tom King, district solicitor, who will serve as head negotiator on Wednesday and, presumably, thereafter. “Negotiations have been conducted very courteously and professionally, and we hope to continue that.”

“We want to see real change on Oct. 10, some real give-and-take and some real progress,” said district teacher Mark Lewandowski, MAEA negotiator.

Perhaps a contract would be in place by now if there had been such determination from both sides during the summer.

Both sides must share the blame for not taking better advantage of the summer and keeping the issue in limbo now, when the full attention of the district ought to be on educating the students.