STOUGHTON, Wis. -- A public rally was held outside the Stoughton School District's administration building Thursday evening as the district attempts to resolve a contract dispute.

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Teachers greeted school board members as both sides met with a mediator for the first time.

Teachers said they won't settle for a contract they feel is unfair. Dozens of Stoughton teachers and supporters marched through downtown Stoughton to rally support for their nearly yearlong contract dispute.

"We're at 325 days, and this is not acceptable," said Peggy Walker, grievance chair for the Stoughton Education Association.

Neither side has been able to find middle ground over health care. It's an issue with which Stoughton schools are familiar.

"Our last contract had a very contentious battle. It went over 500 and some days. We were one of the last in the state to settle. And now we're again in the same situation," Walker said.

The school board said its new health care plan should save teachers money but could limit choices of physicians.

A number of other details remain unresolved, including the minutes teachers need to be at school -- they're called permissives.

"In our contract, there are 19 of them. And the board's hoping to influence some of the old trends and get things to fall more in line with what they hope to have take place," said school board member Fred Hundt.

If an agreement is not reached, the teachers said they will continue their rallying.

"We'll have to reconvene and decide what our next action is. But our No. 1 word is that we are determined to get a good contract -- a fair, equitable contract," Walker said. School board members said the mediation session Thursday could run as late as midnight.

Teachers didn't sound optimistic that a deal could be reached this soon, so the process could continue.

It's illegal for teachers to strike, so rallying and informational pickets are the only way they can attempt to gain public support.