PORTLAND, Ore. — A 21-hour “marathon” negotiation session between Portland school officials and the Portland Association of Teachers ended early Tuesday morning without resolving the final eight contract issues that have prevented the two sides from reaching a new contract since last spring.

It’s unclear what the next step will be in the process, though both sides seem committed to more talks, OregonLive.com.

However, there is a chance this standoff could get quite ugly – and quite quickly. By law, Portland school leaders can impose a contract on the teachers union. District leaders have not done so because PAT leaders have warned that would likely lead to the district’s first-ever teachers’ strike.

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Since neither side seems willing to push the Big Red Button, the talks could drag on for quite a while longer.

OregonLive.com reports two sides are still far apart on proposed contract provisions that limit teachers’ workload and restrict administrators’ ability to assign and transfer staff as needed. The two sides are also at loggerheads over how much the district should contribute toward teachers’ health insurance costs.

PAT President Gwen Sullivan recently told OregonLive.com the union is not yet thinking of a strike.

However, it’s been well-reported that PAT leaders have studied the tactics used by the Chicago Teachers Union in its 2012 teachers’ strike to see how it’s done. But unlike CTU leaders, Portland union leaders appear more skittish about walking out on their city’s students.

Perhaps that’s because Portland school leaders have launched their own public relations campaign to counter the union’s propaganda. PAT leaders must understand they’d be risking a community backlash if they move to strike.

Our guess is that the standoff will ultimately be resolved with money. It’s been reported the Portland district is currently in better financial shape than it’s been in recent years. It seem probable that Portland school board members will compromise on their proposed health insurance contribution cap in return for fewer “Thou Shalt Not” work rules in the teachers’ contract.

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And that might be the best solution for the entire community, in no small measure because it would show that CTU-style radicalism doesn’t play very well outside the Windy City.