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Denver teachers voting on whether to strike over pay

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DENVER — Teachers in the state's largest school district are finishing up a vote on whether to go on strike.

The voting process, which began on Saturday, is set to end Tuesday night. Two-thirds of unionized teachers would have to approve a strike for teachers to walk off the job as soon as Monday.

The teacher's union has been trying to negotiate a new pay structure with Denver Public Schools, but the two sides are still more than $8 million apart. One of the major sticking points is bonus money. The district said it wants to continue paying teachers, who work in hard-to-staff schools, more money. The union said it wants those financial resources spread out, to build up the base pay for every teacher.

While teachers have the right to strike in Colorado, the state reserves the right to intervene although it can't force either side to do anything. If teachers strike and the state steps in, the walkout could be delayed by up to 180 days, past the current school year.