School officials in Chicago said they were “very close” to reaching a deal with the city’s educators Saturday in a move that may avert a massive strike in President Obama’s hometown. “We have listened,” said school board president David Vitale. “We have moved dramatically on almost all of these issues to try to accommodate them and to respect our teachers.” A strike Monday would be the first the Midwestern city has seen from its teachers in a quarter of a century. Union leaders offered more subdued support for the proposal Saturday.
