Chicago schools CEO says union asking for too much

The head of Chicago Public Schools says the city’s teachers should get a raise but not the amount their union wants.

Jean-Claude Brizard told a group of parents at a Wednesday meeting that the school district “can’t afford what is being asked.”

Members of the Chicago Teachers Union began voting Wednesday on whether to authorize a strike in the event that contract negotiations fail.

They are seeking a 24 percent raise in the first year of a two-year contract. The district has proposed a 2 percent raise in the first year of a five-year contract as well as the introduction of “differentiated pay” that could be tied to various criteria.

The Chicago Tribune reports Brizard also questioned why the vote was held before the district made its final offer.