The Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation and the province will meet for the first time in more than two months Sunday.
A Ministry of Labour mediator has asked the two sides to return to the table for "exploratory talks" Sunday night with more formal bargaining planned for Monday if needed.
After watching talks between the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association and the province quickly fall apart last week, OSSTF District 9 President Erin Roy is taking a wait and see approach.
"If they continue to go to the table on Monday than I think that's a positive sign and if they can get some traction and get to a deal I think that's good for everybody, but I don't want anybody to make a deal that's going to be at the cost of students," she says.
She says the province continues to focus on teacher salaries and benefits to distract from the true focus of the debate.
"They're coming after the education system and trying to take money away from students with increased class sizes and e-learning," she says. "Their own consultations that were leaked out this week demonstrated that nobody wants this, yet the government seems to think that's the way to go."
Roy says members are looking for a cost of living increase on wages and benefits and are fighting to halt cuts to the education system proposed by the province.