The union’s anger has largely been directed at Austin Beutner, the superintendent who was appointed last year in large part because of his business background. Jennifer Medina of The New York Times spoke to Beutner as protesters gathered outside the district headquarters. He did not disguise his frustration and exasperation over the strike. Here is an excerpt from the interview, which has been condensed and lightly edited.

JENNIFER MEDINA: What is this battle about right now?

AUSTIN BEUTNER: The union’s desires are the same as mine. In concept we could agree with everything. But there’s limits on resources. The regulator on behalf of the state has told us we’re in dire financial straits. We cannot spend more than what we have.

JM: There are no negotiations scheduled between the district and the union, United Teachers Los Angeles. How long will the strike go on and how can it end?

AB: What I can’t predict is if and when UTLA will come back to bargaining. I remain available 24/7, anywhere, any time. Whatever it takes we’ll do it. But they’ve not reached out, and I don’t know when that happens.

JM: You’ve been the focus of the union’s ire, and there are calls for your resignation. How do you respond to that?

AB: There’s a lot misinformation about who I am or why I’m doing this. My dad came from Germany fleeing the Nazis. My mom was a schoolteacher, public-school teacher all her life — in New York, in New Jersey, in Michigan. I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams, then had a bit of a setback 10 years ago when I broke my neck mountain biking. I almost died. The next chapter has given me the chance to make a difference. I’ve tried to give every kid the same opportunity I was given in public education. The notion that because you live the American dream and get lucky and that is something to disparage is puzzling.

JM: What do you think of the many Democrats — including several presidential hopefuls — who are explicitly supporting the strike?

AB: I saw a lovely picture of a bunch of legislators in Sacramento wearing “Red for Ed.” How about green? They’re the ones who appropriate the money. We don’t have enough funding for schools. In a generation, California’s going from top of the charts to near the bottom of the charts. And the legislators want to stand up there and say they’re with the teachers. Red for ed? I’ll finish the sentence: Come up with green. Show me the money.

JM: Mayor Eric Garcetti, who has no formal role in the district’s schools, has tried to be an intermediary between you and the union. But this week, he has shown his support for striking teachers. What do you think of that?

AB: The mayor talked about his commitment to teachers. I share that commitment. He talked about the energy in the work action. I like that energy, too. Let’s take the energy to Sacramento. I don’t want to take the energy to closing middle schools.

The mayor made a comment that we should take a leap of faith in our budgeting. You can’t pay people with a leap of faith, I think he should understand that. If he wants to take a leap of faith, maybe the city should backstop that leap of faith. The city has a budget. They have money to help with homeless children. We have almost 20,000 in our schools. Maybe the city can provide us with additional funding and resources.

JM: A poll from Loyola Marymount University released Tuesday showed the overwhelming majority of Los Angeles residents support the strike. Is this a turning point for public schools here?

AB: The strike is a rallying cry, but what does it lead to? Maybe we just have a different view on how you build consensus and how you’re trying to move something forward. I’d like to see our civic leaders, our elected leaders in this conversation — they’re notably absent. I believe our community organizations are noticeably absent. They should all be here now. Where’s the pressure for us to even be at the table right now?

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.