Chicago teachers strike Monday - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

CHICAGO (WKOW) -- Chicago teachers announce the city's 25,000 public school teachers will strike Monday morning after talks with the school board broke down Sunday night.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the strike by the Chicago Teachers Union "unnecessary" and unfair to the city's school children. Emanuel said the two sides disagreed mainly over two issues that could be resolved if they kept negotiating. He said the district's team was ready to start talking again at any time. Union officials say there has been progress, but the two sides were still too far apart on key issues to prevent a strike.

The two sides have been negotiating for months. Emanuel says the district offered the teacher a 16 percent pay raise over four years.

The school district will feed and monitor students at 144 schools during the strike. City officials vow to keep the nearly 400,000 students safe until teachers return to the classroom. Schools will be open between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Churches, libraries and other facilities will be open for students after that.

This is the first time in 25 years Chicago teachers will hit the picket lines.