The Ambridge Area School District has canceled classes affecting more than 3,000 students today due to a strike by teachers.
The district announced the cancellation in a posting on its website late Monday.
"Under state law," the district's post said, "the Department of Education will determine the date on which the strike must end. We anticipate that date to be during the first week of January 2017."
District officials said they would continue to post updates on the website.
"It is our goal to resolve this matter as quickly as is possible," they said, asking parents and taxpayers "to sign [a] digital petition urging [the] union to reconsider its wage and benefit demands."
The district said about 190 teachers represented by the Ambridge Area Education Association walked off the job after months of negotiations.
Newly elected board President Scott Angus issued a statement saying, "The board stands firm in its intent to be responsible stewards of public education and to negotiate a teachers' contract that reflects the financial realities of this district." He added that "we cannot bend to the union's unreasonable demands that would cripple our budget."
Mr. Angus said a state-appointed, independent fact-finder recommended salary increases lower than those sought by the union.
A representative of the teachers' union could not be reached Monday night.
The district website said the teachers' four-year contract expired June 30, 2015, and there have been more than 18 negotiating sessions.
"The two sides reached tentative agreements on several matters," the district said, including deals on tuition reimbursement and cash for classroom supplies. But issues on wages, healthcare benefits and retirement incentives could not be resolved.
According to the district, the average Ambridge teacher has a salary of $58,741 plus benefits including family health insurance that costs teachers $25 per month.
The union, the district said, is seeking a contract that would cost the district $36,431 more in salary per teacher over five years, amounting to nearly $7 million.
Mr. Angus said Ambridge has a declining enrollment and the highest school tax rate in Beaver County.
First Published: December 13, 2016, 4:23 a.m.
Updated: December 13, 2016, 5:16 p.m.
