Minneapolis teachers went on strike Tuesday after failing to secure an agreement from the city to decrease class sizes, and increase pay and pandemic-related mental health resources, cancelling K-12 school for one of the largest districts in the state.

The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, a major teachers’ union in the city, announced that they would go on strike starting Tuesday after they failed to reach an agreement in contract negotiations with the district.

“We are on strike for safe and stable schools, we're on strike for systemic change, we're on strike for our students, the future of our city and the future of Minneapolis public schools,” Greta Cunningham, president of the teachers' chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, said Tuesday during a union member picket protest, the Associated Press reported.

The district, which ieducates 29,000 students, promised to go back to the negotiating table until a settlement is reached.

“While it is disappointing to hear this news, we know our organizations’ mutual priorities are based on our deep commitment to the education of Minneapolis students,” the district said in a statement.

Teachers in the neighboring St. Paul School District, who had similar complaints and requests for a new contract, called off their planned strike Tuesday after they arrived at a tentative agreement Monday night. St. Paul teachers had goals to keep caps on class sizes and increase wages for teachers and lower-level education professionals as well as funding for mental health services.

"This agreement could have been reached much earlier. It shouldn't have taken a strike vote, but we got there," local union President Leah VanDassor said in an announcement of the deal.

St. Paul Superintendent Joe Gothard said the agreements were acceptable within the district’s budget constraints. In a statement Sunday, Gothard said the district would be amenable to maintaining current average class sizes, recruiting four more school psychologists, sending every union employee a bonus of $2,000 using federal stimulus funds, and upping the pay of the lowest-paid educational support staff, the AP noted.

“This comprehensive settlement offer addresses the union's priorities, does not add to the projected $42 million budget shortfall next year, and most importantly, keeps our students, teachers and staff in the classroom,” he said.

The Minneapolis teacher strike comes after over two years of disrupted learning for students marked by prolonged online school and delayed in-person school re-opening. It is unclear when Minneapolis students will be able to resume class.