Gov. Paul LePage swore, pounded a table and stormed out of a meeting with three independent House members last week, according to the lawmakers, who said they hoped to talk to the governor about alternate approaches to balancing the state budget.

Instead, the lawmakers said the governor called them “idiots” and again railed against Maine’s public schools.

Rep. Joe Brooks of Winterport, a former Democrat, set up the meeting with LePage weeks after the governor refused to meet with the Legislature’s Democratic leaders.

Rep. Jeff Evangelos of Friendship and Rep. Ben Chipman of Portland also attended. The trio are the only members of the Maine House who aren’t caucusing with either the Republican or Democratic parties.

When Evangelos brought up concerns from municipal leaders in his Mid-coast district that the elimination of revenue sharing — designed to save the state nearly $200 million during the two-year budget cycle — could cause property taxes to spike hundreds of dollars for property owners, LePage grew irritated, raised his hands over his head then pounded the table, Brooks said.

“ ‘You guys, you’re idiots and you’re just as bad if not worse than those other guys,’” LePage said, according to Brooks. “I assumed that he was talking about the Democrats.”

A LePage spokeswoman didn’t respond to requests for comment Monday.