Talks between two teachers unions and the Department of Education on the issue of supervision broke down last night.
The TUI and the INTO met with the Department to discuss supervision, but it is believed an offer of a €2 increase in the hourly rate to €36 was not acceptable to the unions.
All the teachers unions have previously rejected the offer of €34 an hour.
Further talks overseen by independent mediator Mr Tom Pomphrett are not planned, but some progress was reported on the issue of pensionability.
The TUI executive will meet on Friday to discuss the matter but are thought unlikely to recommend balloting members. A ballot would only take place if there was a chance a new deal would be accepted. But a spokesman for the union said today that they were still open to discussion.
However, they reiterated their opposition to the supervision arrangements currently in place which was again raised last night when the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) said the current arrangements could not continue in to the next school year.
"We are delighted the NAPD spoke out about it," a TUI spokesman said today. "We were against the introduction of supervisors in the first place," he added.
The talks, which broke down at midnight, were not attended by the ASTI teachers' union.