YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – The Youngstown teachers union has filed a 10-day strike notice.

The Youngstown Education Association filed the intent to strike or picket notice Tuesday with the Ohio State Employment Relations Board and the Youngstown City School Board.

YEA’s contract with the school board expired on June 30. Negotiations are ongoing, but a mediator was called in when both sides reached an impasse.

Union officials said a strike is a “last resort.”

Tiffany Patterson, president of Youngstown Board of education, issued the following statement Tuesday evening:

The school district was surprised to receive a notice of intent to strike from the union. This is because the union also requested that the fact-finding mediation process begin last week; then seemed to change their mind. Today, we are assessing all of our options, and we’ll have a statement tomorrow. However, as Superintendent [Jeremy] Batchelor informed the union bargaining team the last day they met, we are willing at any time to return to the table with the FMCS mediator, and we’ve offered to do so numerous times.

Teachers are supposed to report to work on Aug. 15, and classes for Youngstown city schools are scheduled to begin on Aug. 23.