The Knoxville School District and its teachers union have reached agreement on a two-year contract.

The school board met Friday morning to formally approve the contract, which the Knoxville Education Association had already agreed to; District Superintendent Cassi Pearson tells KNIA/KRLS News the two parties settled on a salary increase just over the 2.06 percent mark set by the state.

“We increased our base salary by $300 dollars, which is a 2.11 percent salary increase; and we were really excited this year. We’ve kept a good handle on our insurance package, so that did no increase; and there was no IPERS (Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System) increase this year.

“So 100 percent of our increase will go directly to salaries, and we know that’s really helpful and beneficial to our staff,” Pearson says.

Apart from some changes in language due to changes in the law, Pearson says the master contract remains largely the same. And having a two-year pact means the union won’t have to recertify next year, saving them the time and money required to do so.