WELLS &045; A teachers’ strike seems inevitable after the USC school district told the teachers union in a letter that the district will not budge on severance packages, the key sticking point in the negotiations.

&uot;They told us that they’ve given us our final offer,&uot; said Karen Robbins, the president of the USC teachers’ union. &uot;The letter leads me to believe that they are done trying to settle this.&uot;

The letter, which the union received Tuesday morning, indicated that the district would not negotiate on their $60,000 severance package offer for the teachers’ contract. The union wants a $72,000 package, and teachers say they are actually taking a cut from their old package in doing so.

&uot;We’ve reduced our retirement benefits package by 23 percent,&uot; said Jim Sand, one of the negotiators for the teachers. &uot;The board is trying to make us reduce that even further, by 36 percent.&uot;

Sand said the old package was more than $93,000. &uot;We’ve made significant concessions,&uot; he said.

The letter was a shock to the negotiating team, according to Robbins and Sand. The wording, according to Sand, leaves very few alternatives other than a strike. &uot;The language of that letter is strong,&uot; said Sand. &uot;I’m not sure it leaves us many options. I believe they’re putting us in a position where we have to seriously consider (striking).&uot;

Pat Staloch, the chair of the school board, said if a strike happens, he doesn’t think it will be the school board’s fault. &uot;Basically, they’re kind of leaving themselves with that option,&uot; he said. Staloch said the letter was to show that they had given their final offer, but did not say whether the board was willing to compromise if the union decreased their severance-package offer.

Robbins said she planned to take the letter to the union’s executive board this morning. The board will decide the what action to take. Robbins said after a board decision, she would have a general membership meeting to vote on what to do. She said if there is consent, the teachers will most likely set a strike date.

One more negotiating meeting must be scheduled if a strike date is set, and the executive board decides to sign a document showing their readiness to strike. But Robbins expects nothing would come of that meeting.

&uot;Reading the letter, it is clear they are unwilling to move,&uot; she said. &uot;But they said they would be happy to listen to us if we make more concessions.&uot;