JEFFERSON TWP — An increasingly acrimonious public back-and-forth over teacher contract negotiations at South Butler School District spilled into Wednesday's board meeting, with about 50 teachers packing the library at Knoch Middle School.

The board's major business Wednesday revolved around the district's preliminary 2017-18 budget — which board members approved unanimously and without a millage increase.

But in the run-up to that vote the focus was on teachers and community members, who lobbied board members on the issues of taxes and the district's stagnated contract negotiations with its teachers union.

Many of the teachers present Wednesday night said they turned out to show support for their union and promote reaching a contract agreement with the district.

Holding a sign that read “This can't continue, nor should it,” Jamie Lampus, an English teacher for ninth and 11th grades in the district, said, “We're just here to support our union. We want fair negotiations and a settlement to this contract.”

But several residents took the podium to air their frustrations Wednesday and asked board members to stand firm on both the contract and taxes.

Susan Duttenhoeffer, a nurse who has lived in the district for 27 years and had three children graduate from Knoch High School, said she was 'appalled,” by the “huge raises” in the district's latest contract offer.

“I'm amazed that the teachers rejected this contract,” said Duttenhoeffer. “I'm asking the school board to stand firm. This community can't afford higher taxes.”

Jim Burd, a lifelong resident of the district and husband of board President Nelda Burd, criticized teachers for objecting to the latest salary schedule offered by the district, saying it represented annual raises of more than 3 percent.

Burd called the district's latest offer “a reasonable package that reflects the economic situation of our region.”

Rebecca Boyd, a business owner and district resident who also is running for a seat on the school board, called the public back-and-forth over the contract and other issues within the district “embarrassing.”

“This is my hometown. This is not how we treat each other,” Boyd said. “We need to change the tenor here.”

Boyd asked board members to avoid raising taxes in next year's budget, saying any millage increase would hurt elderly residents who live on fixed incomes.

Board members ultimately approved a $37.2 million preliminary budget with no millage increase, but not before several teachers also took to the podium to air their concerns.

Katie Calendar, a 13-year veteran at the district, said that of her years teaching in South Butler, nearly half have been spent without a contract. And while each troubled contract negotiation usually brings changes to union leadership, Calendar said, the same can't be said of the makeup of the school board.

“Why hasn't there been a change in board leadership if the same (contract) challenges arise each and every time?” Calendar said.

She urged board members to “head back to the table” and continue negotiations with the union, and said that teachers in South Butler are objecting to the salary schedule because they are among the lowest-paid in the region.

“We aren't asking to be paid like doctors or lawyers ... but we are asking to be paid like other teachers,” Calendar said.

Librarian Suzanne Atwell, who has taught in South Butler for more than 17 years, called out board members for what she said were unfair and regressive negotiating tactics and online negotiations updates that she said were misleading and contentious. She said the district's latest offer represents a fraction of the wage increases school officials claim, and was delivered in a “bad faith” bargaining session filled with threats and ultimatums.

“There seems to be an 'us versus them' mentality in the district,” said Atwell. “That is ridiculous and needs to stop.”