MADISON, Wis. -- The Monona Grove teachers' union is concerned about proposed cuts to their benefits.

About 100 teachers crowded into the district's school board meeting on Wednesday to ask the board to reconsider its latest contract offer, which would slash into retirement benefits.

According to Kristine Wollermann, the union's president, teachers who are 10 years or less from retirement wouldn't be affected, but everyone else would have their retirement benefits cut -- depending on their years with the school. She said the proposal would also reduce how much the district currently offers retired teachers until they receive Social Security benefits.

"For me, it probably amounts to somewhere around $200,000 in lost benefits which means I might have to work longer, put in more time, I might not be able to retire when I thought I could if these benefits are removed," Wollermann said.

The teachers' union presented the board with petitions signed by hundreds of teachers in the district. Some pledged to stop writing letters of recommendations for students while others pledged to resign from their voluntary committees until the benefits are reinstated.

Wollermann said the cuts would be worst for new teachers, and would leave them with the lowest compensation of 16 surrounding districts.

"That does not attract quality teachers coming to a district when you don't have a very good base salary, and now you also don't have benefits," Wollermann said.

School Board President Craig Gerlach said he couldn't comment on the negotiations at this time, but said part of the board's proposal would offer to pay new teachers $1,300 per year into a new Health Savings Account.

Salaries and benefits for teachers in the district have been frozen since June 2009 when they weren't able to work out a new contract with the school board.