As of Tuesday afternoon, there were no signs of a quick end to the Seneca Valley School District's contract impasse and the teachers strike that began Monday morning.

However, Tuesday morning revealed signs of racheted-up tension as the strike became a more entrenched topic of interest in the county, as well as on a Pittsburgh radio talk show.

Meanwhile, a stepped-up quantity of letters to the editor dealing with the impasse and the strike are being received at the Butler Eagle.

Judging from the overall mood of the situation as it played out on Strike Day 2, the walkout is evolving into a bitter confrontation that could affect morale and professional relationships in the district for years to come. Those who have observed teacher strikes in the past at other locales in the state are not surprised at the evolving scenario.

That the Seneca Valley football program, which has had success during the past couple weeks, is not being suspended during the walkout sits well with some members of the bargaining unit, but others, regardless of whether they are willing to say so openly, would have preferred the shutdown of all extracurricular activities to produce a total shutdown-of-the-district impact. They believe suspension of football would have imposed greater pressure on the district and union to work on an expedited settlement.

Win or lose, football is near and dear to Seneca Valley residents. Suspension of the program because of a dispute between the teachers union and the school board wouldn't likely be embraced by the bulk of residents and the student body — and especially players who might have potential college football scholarship ambitions.

All that aside, regardless of the course and length of the strike, and whether or not it actually produces a settlement, a task lies ahead for Seneca Valley Education Association members, either in the near term or beyond. And that is to evaluate the Pennsylvania State Education Association's involvement in the ongoing dispute — whether it has helped the Seneca Valley situation or whether it has been an impediment to reaching a satisfactory settlement.

The state group's interest is geared toward negotiating generous contracts that other teachers unions across the state can use as examples in their own contract negotiations. Though it won't be admitted publicly by state union officials, the financial pressures facing Seneca Valley and any other district are secondary to the PSEA UniServ representatives' goal of pushing for the biggest pay increases and best fringe benefits possible.

Some local unions, acknowledging their districts' economic situation, strive to negotiate their contracts without that outside intervention, and there have been instances where local unions, unable to achieve a settlement, have dismissed the statewide union's involvement in their local dispute as a means for achieving an accord.

Judging from the future course of the Seneca Valley situation, sending the PSEA UniServ representatives packing might, at some point, become the best option for the Seneca Valley Education Association to consider.

For now, in the eyes of some people at this early stage of the strike, the Seneca Valley walkout might be somewhat of a novelty and a topic for interesting discussion. But that's not likely to continue for very long.

Day 2 gave unwelcomed hints about the unhappiness and bitterness that could lie ahead.

The fall of 2007 will be remembered for a long time in Seneca Valley — but not for the right reasons.