The teachers in the Karns City School District said this morning they will go on strike Sept. 1 because they have no contract.

A negotiation session Friday between the Karns City School Board and the Karns City Education Association went nowhere.

"The school board made an offer that was worse than their previous offer. The offer moved us further apart," said Chris Bellis, the Karns City Education Association's chief negotiator and a teacher, in a news release this morning.

"The Karns City Education Association has given strike notice for Sept. 1, 2010."

In the release, he said, "We had considered a work stoppage this school year, but our negotiating team ultimately decided to give the school board over three months notice, in hopes that an agreement can be reached and a strike can be avoided."

The release said the board's officer is "lower than their previous proposal and lower than any other settlement in our area."

The teachers want a 3.85 percent raise over five years while the board wants to give a 3.31 percent increase.

The teachers have been working without a contract since July 1, 2009.