CHICAGO (AP) - Parents in the nation's third largest school district say they don't know what they'll do if teachers strike Monday.
Chicago Public Schools plans to keep some schools open for a half-day if teachers walk out so students have a place to go. But there won't be any instruction.
Parent Doug Danby says his children's school will be closed and he doesn't want to send them to another school, especially when they might not know anybody and he doesn't know who'll be watching them. But he works full time, so there aren't many options.
Negotiators for the teachers' union and school board were set to meet again Sunday.
The teachers have set a midnight Sunday deadline to call off the city's first teachers' strike in 25 years. Pay raises and job security are among their top concerns.
A strike would cause massive disruptions in the nation's third-largest school district. The district is headed by former Rochester school superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard, whose job may be on the line depending on the outcome of the talks.
Board president David Vitale emerged from Saturday's talks saying the two sides were "very close." He says the board presented a new proposal that "moved dramatically on almost all of the issues."
Union President Karen Lewis calls it an "improved" offer that still needs work.
The union set up what it called a strike headquarters on Saturday to distribute picket signs and T-shirts.
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