After seven months of contract talks, a mediator will be asked to help negotiate an agreement between Bend-La Pine Schools and the union that represents its 1,000 teachers, school psychologists and librarians.

At the end of Monday’s contract-negotiation session, the school district and the Bend Education Association, the educators union, announced they would jointly call for a mediator.

The union and the district have been bargaining since May, and educators have been working without contracts since the end of June.

“The BEA team is frustrated that the decision had to be made to call for mediation but hopeful that pulling in a mediator will help us reach a fair contract that offers improved learning and working conditions for students and BEA members sooner rather than later,” wrote Sarah Barclay, Bend Education Association president, in a text message.

Barclay said that the union would continue working with the district while a mediator is found. The school district is still hoping a mediator might be unnecessary, wrote Scott Maben, communications director, in an email.

“Both parties recognize that mediation may help get across the finish line with a new contract. We’re making this request jointly, and we hope that by bringing in a neutral third party, we can bridge our differences on these remaining issues. Keeping that in mind, mediation can be viewed as a positive and necessary step,” Maben wrote. “There’s still the possibility we will reach a final agreement without the assistance of a state mediator.”

The negotiating teams bargained for 10 hours on Friday and eight on Monday, and came to tentative agreements on the learning environment, supervision duty for school counselors, overnight trips and the fifth grade outdoor school program and recall after layoffs, said Maben.

The district and the union have not finalized agreements on salary or benefits, which includes the work day and year, educator leave and teaching hours. They also have yet to come to an agreement on association rights or professional improvement, according to Maben.

In December, the union proposed a 10% salary increase, with a 9% increase to follow the next year. The union further proposed a $152 increase to the monthly health insurance benefit over two years. The district proposed a 5.5% salary increase, with a 4% increase to follow the next school year. Its latest offer for the monthly health insurance benefit is an increase of $90 over two years.

The request for a mediator will be submitted to the state conciliation service of the Oregon Employment Relations Board.

A full-day session has been scheduled for Jan. 29 to continue bargaining.

BEA considering calling for mediation at end of January if no contract with school district