KIRKLAND – Negotiations between the Hiawatha School District 426 Board and the teachers union ended amicably Monday night when the school board approved a two-year contract.

Superintendent Sarah Willey said the Hiawatha Classroom Teachers’ Association signed off on a contract Friday that would give teachers a one-time 1.67 percent step-based pay increase in January 2014.

“We averted a strike, and that could have been very detrimental to the education of our students,” Willey said. “It could have delayed the end of the school year. It could have upset sports activities and graduation. ... Everybody feels it’s a reasonable compromise.”