Inglewood Teachers Walk Out

Teachers in the Inglewood Unified School District left their classes for the picket lines today, with more than 90% of the district’s 627 teachers joining in the strike. Officials for the Inglewood Teachers Assn. said the strike would continue Thursday. The district’s 19 campuses remain open, staffed by administrators, substitutes and parents.

The teachers’ union and the district have been trying to negotiate a new three-year contract that would be retroactive to the beginning of the school year. Several months ago, the district offered 7% raises for each of the three years, but the offer was withdrawn last month after Gov. George Deukmejian unveiled a budget for 1987-88 that contained only minimal increases in education spending by the state. The district now is offering a 7% pay increase for the current year, with raises for the next two years tied to increases in state education spending.