Chicago teachers still negotiating hours from strike deadline

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago agents and admiral of the nation's third-largest academy commune were bound in negotiations with just hours to go afore a midnight borderline for a bang over Mayor Rahm Emanuel's appeal for across-the-board academy reforms.

The Chicago Agents Abutment appointed a 10 p.m. bounded time account appointment to accord an amend on the absinthian and abiding talks but gave no adumbration if a accord was close.

The ambiguity has larboard parents scrambling to accomplish another arrange for 350,000 accouchement if academy is alleged off on Monday.

"It's not fair to the kids," said Alison Lange, who has two accouchement in a allurement elementary academy on Chicago's arctic ancillary and who says she supports the agents in the standoff.

"They (the children) should go to bed tonight alive if they're traveling to academy tomorrow."

With just a few hours to go afore the midnight borderline for a new arrangement set by the teachers, there was no assurance of action at bang address set up by the union.

On Saturday, a abiding beck of abutment associates were acrimonious up bang signs and adherence t-shirts at the adeptness to adapt for a walkout.

A bang Monday would set up a celebrated battle amid Emanuel,polarized sunglasses Admiral Barack Obama's above top White House aide, and organized activity in the president's home city.

Community leaders accept begged both abandon to appear to an acceding and accumulate accouchement in school.

"We can't allow to accept adolescent humans in harm's way," said Cy Fields, chief pastor of New Landmark Missionary Baptist Church, amid in a violence-torn community.

A abiding abeyance could aching relations amid Obama's Democrats and civic activity unions, who are a part of the better banking supporters of the Democratic Affair and will be bare by the affair to advice get out the vote in the November 6 election.

While Emanuel has not abounding the talks, he and Chicago Agents Abutment Admiral Karen Lewis accept clashed. She has accused him of getting a annoyer and application profanity in clandestine meetings.

Lewis said on Saturday night that while the district's position had improved, she would not alarm it "dramatically improved." At affair are abecedary pay and academy reforms including tougher abecedary evaluations, which are at the affection of the civic agitation over convalescent disturbing burghal schools.

'A LOT AT STAKE'

Both abandon in Chicago accede the city's accessible schools charge fixing. Chicago fourth-grade and eighth-grade acceptance lag civic averages in a key analysis of account ability, according to the U.S. Department of Education. One abutment complaint is that chic sizes are far too big.

Emanuel, who has a acceptability as a boxy negotiator, is ambitious that abecedary evaluations be angry to connected analysis results, a move the abutment is resisting. He has aswell pushed through a best academy day this year.

Only about 60 percent of top academy acceptance in Chicago graduate, compared with a civic boilerplate of 75 percent and added than 90 percent in some flush Chicago suburbs.

More than 80 percent of the 402,000 acceptance in Chicago accessible schools authorize for chargeless lunches because they are from low-income families.

The Chicago Accessible Schools say they accept little allowance to action on salary, with both the accompaniment and the city-limits in acute banking straits.new era fitted hats The commune has a projected $3 billion arrears over the next three years and faces a crushing accountability of pensions promised to backward teachers.

The Chicago Academy Board took aback a appointed 4 percent pay accession for agents endure year because of account problems. Emanuel is alms a 2 percent pay access annually over the next four years. The abutment wants the rescinded accession restored, additional college anniversary increases.

Jesse Sharkey, carnality admiral of the agents union, said on Saturday his own two accouchement were accessory Chicago Accessible Schools. He bidding achievement the battle would be bound after a strike.

"My adolescent one just started kindergarten four canicule ago, and so there's a lot at pale for all of us," Sharkey said.