The Tacoma Education Association, which represents teachers in Tacoma Public Schools, told KIRO 7 South Sound Reporter Kevin McCarty they didn't like the new offer Tacoma Public Schools proposed Wednesday and called for a yes/no vote on whether to strike.

When the vote came, 90 percent of the teachers in attendance voted in favor of a strike, but that only accounted for 76 percent of the entire teachers union; 80 percent of the union was required to prompt a strike.

Before the vote count started, KIRO 7 crews saw a truck pull up that contained boxes full of picket signs.

The district made what it called "major changes" to its proposals to the teachers union Wednesday in an effort to avoid a strike before the start of school Thursday.

The district said its new proposals would preserve class sizes and continue to base layoff decisions on the current system.

"We simply cannot afford a strike right now," Superintendent Art Jarvis wrote in a statement. "No one wins in a strike; everybody loses – especially our students and their families. We hope our teachers can see for themselves how much I, our school board and our district value their contributions in the classroom on behalf of the students."

We will update this story as more information becomes available.