WESTON -- A group of 77 people, most of them teachers, asked D.C. Everest School Board members this week to increase residents' property taxes by $1 million to fund school programs.

Board members went against the teachers' wishes, voting 5-2 to hold the line on budget cuts they've made to keep this year's tax rate identical to last year's. Board members Mary Hancock and Rita Kasten opposed the motion.

About 100 people attended the district's annual meeting Tuesday, where residents were asked to vote on the tax rate as a recommendation to School Board members. The motion residents passed would have increased taxes on a $100,000 home by about $46.

Most of those at the meeting were D.C. Everest teachers -- some of whom spoke in favor of the tax increase, some against, Kasten said.

The School Board is not bound by the recommendation, and members decided to leave the rate unchanged -- $952 on a $100,000 home -- because of the weak economy, board member Larry Schaefer said.

"An increase right now would be very difficult for many, many people to tolerate," Schaefer said. "We've got people losing their jobs, losing their homes."

Some residents, however, wanted to pay more in taxes to bring back some of the items stripped from the budget, such as textbooks, support staff, librarians and buildings and grounds maintenance.

"My kids are going through this district, said Gretchen Lorge of Weston. "I'd rather pay extra money."

Lorge made a motion to increase the levy by $2.1 million, but a majority of residents at the meeting voted against her proposal. Residents expected the tax increase would have allowed the district to return some of the staff members and materials cut from the budget, but district leaders said it was inappropriate to determine at the meeting what the extra money could buy.

Board member Hancock agreed with Lorge, saying that with a board-approved tax increase, the district could have gone ahead with textbook purchases or addressed maintenance needs more easily than hiring back workers.

Hancock's fellow board member Andy Sutton disagreed, voting to keep taxes unchanged from last year. If residents haven't lost their jobs, their wages likely have been frozen or reduced, making them less able to afford a tax hike, Sutton said. The district could have tried to reverse some of the cuts mentioned by residents if taxes were increased, but the change would have involved numerous staff discussions, said Tom Owens, D.C. Everest assistant superintendent for business and personnel services.

-- Reporter Amy Ryan contributed to this report.