HONOLULU (AP) — Board members of the union representing Hawaii's public school teachers will consider whether to take the governor up on his proposal to have a federal mediator help resolve a contract dispute.

Hawai`i State Teachers Association President Wil Okabe says the board will meet today to decide how to proceed with Governor Neil Abecrombie's proposal.

In a letter to Okabe last week, Abercrombie proposed using a federal mediator to help achieve a collective bargaining agreement.Teachers are currently working under a last, best and final offer after their contract expired in June last year.

In May, they voted to ratify a contract that they previously rejected. But Abercrombie says it's no longer valid and needs to be updated. The union had previously 
proposed binding arbitration to make a decision.