The Nashua School District is considering a new budget that could mean cutting jobs for dozens of classroom educators. On Monday, teachers and district staff debated the budget proposal at the Nashua High School North.The school board discussed a 3.5% budget increase cutting roughly 40 full-time teaching salaries. Teachers told News 9 these drastic cuts will impact students."Just the idea of us losing more staff," said Judy Fisher, a fifth-grade teacher for the Nashua School District. "There's no statistic that says that less is better for children. If we want to educate these children appropriately and effectively, we need the people."The School Board recommends the budget, but it is up to city council to approve the recommendation. Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess has previously said that he would support up to a 3% increase.Nashua school board member Rob Johnson said that Mayor Donchess should approve a larger budget increase."Mayor Donchess, if you support our teachers, support our teachers, and support what we ask for. It's that simple," said Johnson.Gary Hoffman, president of the Nashua Teachers' Union, said that a 3% budget increase would eliminate funding for nearly 70 teaching positions and $1 million across the district.Hoffman said the 4% is necessary to keep the status quo, while also meeting federal requirements.The high cost is, in part, driven by an increase in transportation costs. Hoffman said that the district received a $1.99 million bill from the contractor it uses for school buses, which was significantly higher than it has been in the past.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<Hoffman also said the cost of the English Language Learning program has gone up, as has the cost of out-of-district placement for students who need resources beyond what the district can provide. The union spoke out recently about existing issues with staffing. As News 9 reported in December, the district had dozens of open positions for paraeducators, putting a strain on resources for special education students. At the time, the teachers' union was asking to raise their salaries. Union leaders said they're now concerned that the proposed budget cut would worsen the staffing shortage issue. There will be a public comment hearing on Wednesday, April 2 at 6 p.m. at Nashua High School North.The school board is set to finalize its budget recommendation on Thursday.