Teachers in Seattle, Washington, are planning to stage their first strike in 30 years.

The strike was called for after negotiations broke down between the Seattle School District and its teachers over pay raises, teacher evaluations and the length of the school day.

This Wednesday marks the first day of school for 53,000 students in Seattle public schools, but classes were canceled.

Members of the Seattle Education Association, which represents about 5,000 teachers and support staff, plan to picket on Wednesday morning at all schools.

The union voted to walk out last week if a tentative agreement was not reached by the first day of school. The strike promises to throw Washington’s public school system, which was already struggling with a huge fight over funding, into even further turmoil.

"Nobody really wants to strike, but at this point the school board has not come to the table with a serious proposal to get it done," Phyllis Campano, the union's vice president, said.

Rich Wood, a spokesman for the Washington Education Association, said the “negotiations are about meeting the needs of students in school districts.”

Seattle is not the only district in the state facing a teacher labor action. Teachers in Pasco in southeast Washington have voted not to return to classrooms despite a court order to end a strike. Teachers decided Monday night to remain on strike, idling 17,000 students on Tuesday in a dispute over pay and curriculum.

The strikes are happening at a time when Washington officials are under increasing pressure to increase the amount of money the state spends on education.

The Washington Supreme Court decided in 2012 that state funding for education was not adequate. The justices said the state was relying too much on local dollars to make up for an inadequate state budget for education. Overreliance on local funds makes the inequity worse because school districts with higher property values can raise more money more easily.

Seattle teachers last went on strike in 1985 and schools were canceled for three weeks.