HOLTON, Kan. (AP) -- The superintendent of the Holton school district says unpredictable state funding contributed to a dispute with the district's teachers.

Earlier this week, Holton teachers returned 69 unsigned contracts to the district to protest a lack of negotiations and another year without a pay raise.

Superintendent Nancy Meyer says the district offered the teachers one-time bonuses last August rather than raises. She says the district took that action in part because the state has reduced funding for public schools and it's difficult to predict when that trend might end.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/N6HyLO ) Meyer said the Legislature cut $279,000 from the district's budget during the 2011 session, continuing a trend of budget cuts since 2007.

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Information from: The Topeka Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com