SOUTH BEND — School will be back in session in one week, and students are getting ready. So are their teachers, but there's one thing missing in their classrooms: a working contract.

The two sides have been negotiating for months and had hoped a deal would be in place well before school started. Hope is fading fast that will happen now.

That has many teachers feeling uneasy.

"This is a moment of anxiety," said National Educators Association-South Bend President Carolyn Peterson. "Especially in financial times where everyone's concerned. People didn't have raises last year. There's issues on health insurance. So, people want to know."

Despite the delay in reaching a deal, school corporation administrators are optimistic that teachers will know the future of their contract before they go back into the classroom.

"We're going to do all we can within this next week before school starts to get it done," said South Bend School Corporation Interim Superintendent James Kapsa. "I would say we're close, and there's a possibility we can get it done before school starts."

Peterson shares that optimism.

"Things are getting closer," she said. "We are optimistic we can get a settlement, but there's no guarantee. As is typical in bargaining sessions, some of the more difficult issues are the ones that remain outstanding."

The two biggest roadblocks are wages and fringe benefits, and Peterson worries that could be a lot of ground to cover in a very short amount of time.

When asked if the start of school was a "hard deadline" for negotiators to try and seal a final deal, she replied "I can't answer that yet, until we meet on [Tuesday] and Wednesday. But time is getting close to the start of school, and scheduling additional meetings gets more difficult for all parties. Everyone wants to be ready to meet students next Tuesday."

No one, Peterson said, wants to walk the picket line instead of walk into the classroom.

But she admits, it could come to that.

"I can't say never," she said. "But there's ultimately many steps that happen before a strike occurs."

Those steps include a vote from the NEA-SB membership that would authorize a strike, and so far, that vote hasn't been called, much less approved.

Peterson says striking remains a possibility that increases with each passing day.

School leaders are confident it won't come to that.

"I don't see that happening," said School Board President Sheila Bergeron. "I think this can be worked out in the near future. Teachers always feel better if they know it's settled. Everyone is more comfortable. But no, I don't foresee any problems."

Still, it's clear the clock is ticking. And both sides say they hear it.

"We're going to do all we can to get it done," said Kapsa.

"I am staying optimistic," added Peterson. "But I know, there are no guarantees in life."

The clock is also ticking on another issue before the school board: the buyout of former Superintendent Robert Zimmerman's contract.

The board voted 5-2 in June to buy out the remaining 18 months of Zimmerman's contract, but haven't agreed on a price yet. Some have speculated it could reach as high as $250,000 to $500,000.

Bergeron and Kapsa both said the board is "close to an agreement," but Bergeron said they're waiting to hear back from Zimmerman's attorney on their latest offer.