NORMAL - Unit 5 officials expressed disappointment Tuesday about the Unit Five Education Association's rejection of a contract proposal, and union officials deferred comment to Wednesday. | DATABASE: Search school employee salaries

The contract, which would have affected about 900 certified staff, including teachers, nurses, school psychologists, social workers, librarians and speech pathologists, was defeated in voting from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday at Normal Community High School, union President Jon Butler announced.

Union officials declined to release the vote totals, comment on why the members rejected it or discuss possible plans for future meetings with district officials.

Officials at the Normal-based school district said the result was disappointing.

"The district put forth its best effort to attain a tentative contract agreement that is fair and equitable to all parties," Superintendent Gary Niehaus said. "We believe the Board of Education would have passed the three-year tentative contract agreement, and we are disappointed with the results of the vote considering the economic times we are in."

Butler took written questions from the media on Tuesday afternoon. He said he planned to meet with members of the union leadership team and the collective bargaining committee to compile the answers to release to the public Wednesday.

"There were difficult discussions," Butler said previously.

Scott Lay, a school board member on the negotiating committee, said at the board's meeting last week that "the overall economic climate factored into negotiations."

The current, four-year contract expires June 30.