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The last couple of weeks have been a roller coaster for Los Angeles public schoolteachers, parents and students.

After months of tense back-and-forth, more than 30,000 teachers were set to walk off the job on Thursday. But on Wednesday, legal questions prompted union leaders to postpone the strike until today.

And as the two sides didn’t renew negotiations over the weekend, pickets are set to begin at 7 a.m. My colleagues, like Jennifer Medina, will be covering the action today, but in the meantime, here’s what you need to know:

Why are the teachers striking?

Teachers and employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest school system, say that working conditions have become untenable. Despite California’s reputation as a progressive bastion, the state still spends relatively little on public education — about half as much as New York spends on the average child.

Now, educators are demanding higher pay, smaller class sizes and the hiring of more support staff like counselors and librarians.