Mountain View Whisman's school board formally signed off on a contract agreement with the district's teachers union at an April 7 board meeting, marking the end of a contentious set of negotiations.

The three-year deal retroactively gives teachers a 5% raise and one-time 2% bonus this school year, plus 4% raises in each of the next two school years. It also sets defined working hours for teachers and places limits on staff meetings. Class sizes are unaffected.

The salary increases are the same as what the district is giving to non-teaching staff and management, under contracts that were approved in February.

The agreement comes after the union declared an impasse in January, with teachers arguing that the district wasn't willing to negotiate on working conditions and only wanted to address salary. An outside mediator was brought in and the two sides reached a tentative agreement last month.

The board approved that agreement by a 4-0 vote on Thursday, April 7. Trustee Chris Chiang was absent.

"We're really thankful to have reached a contract that works for everyone," trustee Devon Conley said, a sentiment that her colleagues concurred with.

Teachers also voted overwhelmingly to sign off on the deal, according to results union President Sean Dechter shared with the Voice. Of the 152 teachers who voted, 98.7% supported the contract. Only two voted to reject it.

To learn more about the details of the contract, read the Voice's past coverage.