BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Negotiations in the Bellevue teachers strike are scheduled to resume at 11 a.m. Wednesday, the second day of a walkout by 1,200 teachers.

By the end of the day Tuesday, the teachers bargaining team said the two sides had not moved any closer toward a settlement.

“The discussion was productive but did not lead to a tentative agreement,” said Bellevue School District Spokeswoman Anne Oxrieder on Tuesday.

The union for 1,200 teachers went on strike for the first time Tuesday since 1980 in a dispute over pay raises and more say from teachers in what they teach. The strike is delaying the start of school for the 16,000-student district.

“They're not taking into account the best interest of the students," said Bellevue High School chemistry teacher Mark Morrow.

Morrow has been with the district for 23 years and said he was striking primarily because of the district's common curriculum standard for core classes. The district wants similar lessons taught at every school.

Teachers said it means they can't create their own lesson plans.

"Not every student learns the same way ... sometimes you have to adapt," Morrow said.

The district said it is loosening the curriculum restrictions.

The other issue on the bargaining table is pay. The district is offering a 1.5 percent increase in salary for this school year. Add to that the state-mandated salary increase of 5.1 percent, and it's a 6.6 percent raise.

"We had over like 6.9 percent inflation this year and we're not keeping up," Morrow said.

Though Bellevue teachers are among the highest paid in the state, many teachers feel they're being shortchanged.

“Washington is pretty low down on the states in terms of our pay, and considering Bellevue especially, it's pretty hard to live here considering the wage that we're paid,” teacher Kristina Keogh said.

The average teacher pay last year was about $58,000 without benefits and $80,000 with benefits, said the school district.

The Bellevue School District’s proposal offered teachers a 3 percent pay raise, over the next three school years - not including whatever the state kicks in as base pay.

The Bellevue Education Association is asking for a 9 percent raise through 2011, leaving a difference of $8 million more than what the district offered.

The district said they can't afford any more. The strike comes just as the district cut $4.8 million from its budget.

"To offer them what they're asking for would really call for cuts in positions and programs and class size increases," Oxrieder said.

"They're talking about a three-year contract and other offers in the following year, but it's very difficult since we're making these budget reductions,” said Oxrieder. “We've actually cut more than 60 positions for this school year, 34 of those were teaching positions, so the more money we offer, the more positions we need to cut."

DISCUSS: Bellevue Teachers' Strike

On Friday, the teacher's union rejected the district's latest offer and a mediator was called in to oversee the negotiations.

“If you're going to fight the fight, you're going to fight the fight. So we are here to get a contract that is worthy of the teaching staff in Bellevue, and that is good for the students of the Bellevue School District,” Bellevue Teacher's Association President Michele Miller said.

The city of Bellevue is offering a day camp for kids.

Parents who work -- and were counting on their children being in school starting Tuesday -- can take their kids to the Boys and Girls Club in South Bellevue off Newport Way. The day camp is available from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.