With nonbinding arbitration the next step in an ongoing debate over an expired teachers contract in Palmerton Area School District, just how that arbitration will take shape is the latest disagreement between the two sides.

According to a Palmerton Area Education Association Facebook post Monday night, the district prefers “issue-by-issue” arbitration as opposed to the full package arbitration agreed to by teachers.Teachers agreed on Feb. 15 to full package nonbinding arbitration after the association said it was “threatened” to do so or the district would seek a unilateral request.“After hours of deliberation, the PAEA negotiating team sent written notification of agreement to voluntary nonbinding full package arbitration,” the association’s negotiating team posted.“Via email from its attorney, the board ignored the acceptance they previously demanded because now they have decided they prefer an issue-by-issue arbitration, a much longer process and one that would require supplemental documentation on each issue, even small language items that were tentatively agreed to early on.”Teachers, who went on strike for two weeks earlier this year, said they haven’t heard from the district since Feb. 22.Three types of voluntary nonbinding arbitration include issue-by-issue, economic versus noneconomic and full package.On Monday, teachers reaffirmed their commitment to full package arbitration.“We did not put stipulations on our acceptance of arbitration,” teachers said. “We had four choices available and chose one. PAEA chose what they believed to be the fairest, and definitely the most efficient and cost effective method.”The association referred to the district’s latest move as a “manipulative tactic.”“Contracts around Palmerton are being settled in a timely manner,” it posted. “The Palmerton school board continues to drag out the negotiations process by putting forth little or no effort to reach a settlement. Lehighton, Carbon Career and Technical Institute, Jim Thorpe and Tamaqua have all come to amicable settlements without involving attorneys.”John Audi, the district’s labor attorney, did not respond to a request for comment by press time.