PORT ANGELES – Teachers in the Port Angeles School District have voted to go on strike.

Yesterday, the union announced teachers would strike if a new contract is not reached by the first day of school Thursday.

Port Angeles Education Association President John Henry said in a statement Monday night:  “If the district team is willing to come in, commit the time and attention then we can reach an agreement. Get the district to the table and we can get this done. PAEA is ready. We have been since February.”

Bargainers for the teachers say there was progress made on some of their issues, but the sides remain apart particularly on class size and planning time.

Meantime, the district advised families to prepare in case school doesn’t begin as scheduled Thursday. In an email, the district said it hopes the issues can be resolved as soon as possible.

“The negotiating teams for PASD and PAEA have been engaged in collective bargaining since March 2022 to reach a new contract that both supports educators and furthers our mission to create safe and effective learning communities. Our district is committed to fair and sustainable compensation for all our bargaining groups and unrepresented employees. While PASD and PAEA have tentatively agreed on numerous items, we have yet to resolve several key topics.”

The email also said the district was prepared to inform families in multiple ways if there is a change in schedule an encouraged them to make sure their contact information was current.