BARRIE -- Students, teachers and parents are preparing for another one-day strike across the region Wednesday.

High school teachers and support staff will walk off the job for the second week in a row as part of the ongoing labour dispute local unions say are about saving jobs and protecting class sizes and cuts to programs.

Ian Crane is one of the thousands of high school students caught in the middle.

"I don't like the changes that have been made to our classrooms this year," said the grade 12 Barrie North Collegiate student. "Especially the mandatory online learning. I don't think that's a good thing at all, that doesn't work for many kids, and it causes more stress for us."

The president of the union representing Ontario's high school teachers says there is almost no chance to avoid a one-day strike set for Wednesday.

Harvey Bischof said the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation and the provincial government had not met this week to continue contract negotiations, making the job action likely.

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Bischof said Education Minister Stephen Lecce is ratcheting up rhetoric around the tense talks instead of engaging in constructive bargaining.

"My message to OSSTF is to call off this needless strike," said Lecce. "They have an opportunity to stay at the table, to invoke private mediation, to work with all parties to keep students in class, that's what our focus should do," the minister said during Tuesday's Question Period in an exchange with NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

"If we do not accept an additional $750-million of tax dollars, they will strike again. That is unacceptable, and it's time we put students first in this province," said Lecce.

The minister urged the union to call off the strike and sit down with a third-party mediator in a bid to reach an agreement.

"We are hoping that the government start to listen to us," said Jen Hare, Simcoe County's OSSTF president. "We released a very reasonable offer on the weekend, and the government flat-out refused it."

One Barrie parent, Ray Bodenmann, agreed with the proposed cuts and education savings.

"I don't know if I agree with the unions and how they can always hold families sort of, hostage. You can't always have a raise."