Students are living the dream in Seattle, Washington, as the teacher’s union has planned a strike that will prevent the first day of school from occurring.

As ABC News reports, the Seattle public school district contains 97 schools and serves 53,000 students.  All will have a bit more summer as the Seattle Education Association, which has about 5,000 teachers and support staff as members, will be picketing on Wednesday September 9, the first day of school.

The teachers are locked in a disagreement with the Seattle School Board over issues such as pay raises, school day lengths, and teacher evaluations.  Both sides have been discussing for months but last week the teachers voted to walk out if the issues were settled by today.

“We are hopeful talks can resume and agreement can be reached to allow our students to get to school,” the Board said in a statement.  They voted on Tuesday to allow the district superintendent to pursue legal action against the teachers.

Parents are probably not as happy as their children, and are scrambling to find childcare during the day.  One bonus has been that the city parks department temporarily expanded their before and after school program to all-day.

“We didn’t want to strike,” said Seattle teacher Theo Moriarty.  “[But] it seems like the only way to have a dialogue with our senior administration.  We all know it’s an inconvenience but ultimately it’s far better for the future of students and families to get what we’re asking for.”

Until agreement is reached, the summer will last just a bit longer.