Students in the Seneca Valley School District will not be returning to the classroom anytime soon.

Despite support from the majority of an audience of 200 who attended last night's school board meeting, board members unanimously rejected a proposal made earlier in the day by striking teachers.

The board's vote came after a detailed description of the offer by the district's labor counsel, Tom King.

The two-year proposal contained 10 points, which included a detailed explanation of salary increases. The teacher's union proposed a 4 percent increase on the base payroll for the 2005-06 school year, which is $30.8 million. That figure would be used to determine increases for 2006-07 and 2007-08. The teachers have said their proposal equals the district's "best offer" previously presented to the union.

However, the teachers also proposed that when teachers retire or resign from the district, the money that the district would realize in savings by hiring new personnel be distributed among the members of the teachers union.

Mr. King argued that because of the teachers' proposal to distribute additional savings each year among its staff members, the percentage increase actually ranged from 6.1 to 6.4 percent.

"If it really was 4 percent, they could come back to work tomorrow," he said.

"What they want us to do is say teacher A retires at $70,000 a year and her replacement comes in at $40,000 a year," he said. "They want us to take that $30,000 difference in salary and allow them to split it up among their remaining members. If we do that, it's not really 4 percent, it's closer to 6.4 percent."

Board members had discussed the proposal during an executive session prior to last night's board meeting.

Board President Dean Berkebile said the labor unrest has caused a rift in the community that he isn't sure can be easily fixed.

"Kids should be in school ... this is tearing the community apart," he said.

Several members of the audience spoke out during the public comment session, begging the board to do whatever is necessary to end the strike.

Ken Dash, 43, a Cranberry businessman and taxpayer in the district, urged the school board to accept the proposal from the teachers.

"Some teachers may get more than others, but the bottom line is it's still 4 percent across the board," he said. "And that's what we've been hearing from this board all along, is 4 percent is 4 percent. This is 4 percent."

Later he added, "It's unacceptable not to accept this."

Donna Huber, 45, of Cranberry, said, "It's extremely disappointing. My whole thinking is that the strike is the wrong way to go for the teachers. It's using the union muscle but it doesn't work. It gives everybody the wrong feeling."

Of the teachers' proposal, however, Mrs. Huber said, "It seemed like it was somewhat of a fair offer."

Pat Andrekovich, lead negotiator for the teachers' union, said he wasn't surprised by the vote.

"After I heard Tom King talk, I expected it," he said. "All along, we've been hearing that 4 percent is 4 percent from the board. We gave them what they wanted, and they turned it down."

Mr. Andrekovich said the teachers will continue to strike unless something happens to resolve the dispute. The state Department of Education has determined teachers must return to the classroom by Nov. 16 in order for students to receive the mandated 180 days of instruction by June 15.

However, teachers have the right to strike a second time in the spring.

The district's 575 teachers have been without a contract since June 30, 2006.