BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. -- The Baltimore County school board voted Tuesday night against changing retirement plan services for its educators to a single provider.

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Hundreds of teachers and other union members protested outside Tuesday's Board of Education meeting because the board was to vote on one vendor to handle teachers' and other labor members' investments.

The proposal would have affected school employees who take part in the district's 403(B) investment program. Currently they can pick from a list of 10 vendors, but the board could have voted to reduce that to just one, a company called the Lincoln Financial Group.

The board unanimously opposed the recommended contract. If approved, the change would have affected as many as 5,000 county teachers.

"I'm really not sure how the county comes out ahead. I do know the teachers come out behind on this basis," said high school financial management teacher Bob Lever. "They are dealing with my money now, and to restrict us to one source means I can continue to invest in the companies I want to, but I will get charged extra for that. We already know there is a pay controversy here in Baltimore County. Why would they want to charge me more?"

Cheryl Bost, head of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County, said she was stunned to learn that the board wanted to cut the number of vendors.

"I compare it to the flu epidemic. You don't change doctors in the middle of a flu epidemic. You go with the person who knows you, knows your history and knows what you are looking for in the future, and we're asking people to uproot from where they are," she said.

"Why would you want to invest through one company?" Lever said.

"We are telling folks to uproot from where you are and move to another company, and all of the experts nationally are saying don't do that," Bost said.