L.A. teacher strike looks inevitable; substitutes hired

LOS ANGELES — A massive teachers strike in Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest school district, is all but inevitable starting Monday after the two sides did not renew negotiations over the weekend. Talks broke down Friday when the teachers’ union rejected as “woefully inadequate” a new offer from the LA Unified School District. With no new discussions scheduled, pickets are likely to begin at 7 a.m. Schools will stay open if a walkout happens. The district, with 640,000 students, has hired hundreds of substitutes to replace teachers and others who leave for picket lines. The union has said it was “irresponsible” to hire subs and called on parents to consider keeping students home or join marchers if a strike goes forward.