The Palmerton Area Education Association voted Monday morning to give the school district formal notice of its intent to strike at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 9, 2017, if a contract agreement is not reached.

"The association wants to give the community ample notice of our intent so that all parties involved can make appropriate arrangements and nobody is caught off guard," said Tom Smelas, association president.PAEA has been negotiating with the school district on a new teachers' contract since February.The last contract, which ran four years, expired June 30.Between now and Jan. 9, it will be business as usual for teachers."In the interim, the teaching staff will continue to provide services as we have been doing since the start of the school year," Smelas said. "In addition, the representatives from the association and the school board will continue to bargain in good faith to attempt to resolve the issues and avoid a strike."