MANCHESTER — Now that proposed contract modifications have been soundly rejected by city teachers, education leaders are considering what options remain before the final budget for the next school year is approved.

Members of the Manchester Education Association voted against a tentative deal by a ratio of about 3-1, leaving the current contract in place for its final year unless further negotiations generate a new deal.

“A lot of people believed it was just time for us to say let's take a step back, make sure we're doing the right thing for the long term. They weren't sure this was doing that,” MEA President Ben Dick said. “We had people all across the gamut say that it was not a deal that they supported.”

The Manchester Board of School Committee has called a special meeting for Tuesday to discuss the city budget and the possibility of further negotiations before the city aldermen decide how much money to allocate for the 2012-13 school year. The aldermen are also scheduled to meet Tuesday night to discuss the city and school budget.

Mayor Ted Gatsas said negotiations could resume if the MEA comes up with something new, although he has been firm in his budget numbers.

“The door is always open if they want to come back and talk to me,” Gatsas said.

Aldermen have until June 12 to decide whether to accept the Manchester School Board's suggested budget of $152 million, while Gatsas suggested $150 million or some number in between. The aldermen can also attempt to override the city's tax cap to provide more money for the schools. Aldermen split a vote 6-6 last week on the issue and would need 10 votes to override a veto promised from Gatsas, who opposes going over the tax cap.

Ward 6 Alderman Garth Corriveau, who has been a strong supporter of schools, said the union vote and budget battle have put the aldermen in a difficult situation.

The aldermen are assessing how to formulate an alternate budget that “frankly, at this stage, does its best to minimize the terrible impact the schools are going to encounter,” Corriveau said Thursday.

“No matter what the aldermen do, if we can do anything, the mayor's already promised to veto any budget using one-time money,” Corriveau said. “If we can do anything, it's not going to be an ideal budget for the schools. It's not going to be anything, even if I support it, I would necessarily want in a perfect world.”

Time for further negotiations is growing shorter.

“Whether or not we're going to sit back down with the mayor and the superintendent, it's too early to say right now,” Dick said.

Currently, 143 teachers are among 161 school workers that face layoffsf when school ends next month. Even if an agreement that saves those is reached — and approved — it will likely be only a short-term solution to an issue that resurfaces every year.

“It's about educating the children of the city and it's about the fact that it hasn't been properly funded for years,” Dick said. “I'm not pinning that on any one party. That's just the way it is.”