PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School District has received a Clallam County Superior Court ruling ordering paraeducators back to work.

The paraeducators’ union say they plan to continue their strike and will picket at the district headquarters. Schools will be closed again Wednesday as a result.

District officials say they went to court after negotiations on the second day of the strike were not fruitful. District officials say the move is intended to stop a prolonged closure of schools due to the strike.

The paraeducators hit the picket lines Monday after working seven months without a contract.  The teachers’ union is honoring those picket lines, forcing schools to close. 

The paraeducators are seeking a 3.7 percent cost of living adjustment matching what teachers were given last year. The union also points out the district’s top administrators also received pay increases over the past two years.

The district  says it can’t afford the COLA for the paras as it would become an unsustainable pay rate in the future. The paras have been working without a contract since last August.

Bargaining is expected to continue again Wednesday.