As a three-year impasse between South Butler School District and its teachers union continues, both sides met in a less-formal negotiating session Monday night. But both sides are still at loggerheads and no more progress was made during the formal bargaining session Monday night, according to a negotiations update released Tuesday by district solicitor Tom Breth.

That formal session was again attended by a state-appointed mediator, Breth confirmed, but did not produce any contract proposals from either side.

The informal session, called a “sidebar,” lasted about 90 minutes and is generally intended to help representatives from negotiating groups hash out their differences in an off-the-record venue. The session also includes fewer participants than a formal bargaining meeting, Breth said. He declined to speak specifically about what was discussed, but said both sides have agreed to continue the less formal meetings.

“It was productive enough that the parties have agreed they are going to continue sidebar discussions,” Breth said.

But other than that broad commitment there was little to show from Monday’s meeting. Breth said no date had been set for future talks, though he expected a meeting would occur “sometime within the next two weeks or so.”

Brooke Witt, the Pennsylvania State Education Association representative for the district’s teachers union, did not return a message left Tuesday seeking comment.

On Tuesday Breth said that health care continues to be the major sticking point for and an “extremely significant part” of negotiations.

The district buys employee coverage through a combine that runs on a fiscal year beginning each July, which effectively represents a soft deadline for any contract changes to the teachers’ health care plan.

If a new contract can’t be finalized before then, Breth said, the district ends up shouldering additional health care costs.

Health care has been a major point of contention between district negotiators and the union, with Breth saying the protracted impasse has cost the district $650,000 over its proposed plan revisions since the union’s last contract expired.

In February Witt said the union has been willing to compromise with the district on health care, but was still seeking concessions on things like health savings accounts because of the rising costs to members.