SEATTLE -- Kent teachers have voted to strike, threatening to delay the start of classes that are scheduled to begin on Monday.

Eighty six percent of teachers voted to strike. About 200 of a total of 1,700 members did not vote.

Teachers plan to be out picketing in front of schools at 8 a.m. Thursday, said KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Gary Horcher.

Even before the union that represents Kent teachers finished counting the ballots in the strike vote, it was clear that a majority of teachers voted in favor of a walkout, Horcher said.

Horcher sent a cell phone photo showing picket signs that say “On strike.”

At a meeting Wednesday evening, KIRO 7 reporter Essex Porter said teachers were discussing the pros and cons of a strike.

Hours before the meeting, a representative for the Kent Education Association and Washington Education Association said, “We’re still pretty far apart on a lot of significant issues.”

Kent School District officials and teachers have been talking with state mediators for seven days in an attempt to reach an agreement on a new contract for the district’s 1,700 teachers.

“I’m angry now. I feel that we should have been respected and listened to and there should have been what the district has termed 'good faith bargaining' has not happened,” said Kent teacher Maureen Aikens.

Unresolved issues include teachers having enough time with students and to prepare lessons as well as class sizes.

“This long without a good offer makes people very ready to strike,” said teacher Cindy Higgins.

"Well I have mixed feelings about it. I mean, I think the teachers have a valid point, but as a parent it's a hardship when school doesn’t start," said parent Melanie Manning.

Tuesday night, teachers met with parents in a crowded meeting room in a city library. They discussed still outstanding issues, including wages, mandatory meetings and class size.

The district said it's offering teachers a 3 percent raise and has cut administrative jobs to help pay for it. “People lost their jobs, we engaged in cutbacks to create the budget to be able to pay teachers more,” said Becky Hanks of the Kent School District.

Teachers also want smaller classes. ”It's not all about how much we're getting paid, it's also about workload. Is it a manageable workload? Do the kids get enough attention? Do the kids get teachers who have the time to serve them? And that's what we're really concerned about,” said teacher Nanatte Navarro.

Teachers point to a $21 million budget surplus, but the district said much of that money is already spoken for.

“It's spoken for in terms of projects that are in progress but haven't been finished, roofs that haven't been finished, construction projects, so we haven't been billed for those yet,” Hanks said.

Negotiators will keep bargaining and it’s possible a settlement could be reached before classes are scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 31.