B.C. Teachers' Federation members have voted 86 per cent in favour of the deal reached this week with the provincial government, paving the way for classes to resume Monday.

Union president Jim Iker announced Thursday night that 27,275 of the 31,741 members who cast ballots approved of the six-year contract, putting an end to the teachers’ months-long strike.

“We all know that this deal isn’t perfect, but it does provide gains for teachers, it protects our charter rights, and increases support for our students,” Iker said.

Many Vancouver teachers expressed disappointment with the deal before casting their ballots Thursday, but said they felt it was the best that could be achieved with the current government.

RELATED: Read full B.C. Teachers' Federation letter outlining agreement

Iker insisted he’s happy with the deal despite its flaws, and said the strike also served to raise awareness about teaching conditions in the province.

“People understand what class composition is and how it relates to class size and the lack of specialist teachers, and now British Columbians are not OK with the status quo,” he said.

“We will continue to work together to make B.C.’s education system better.”

By Monday, students will have missed out on 14 school days this semester. Iker said the B.C. Ministry of Education has told districts the school calendar will not be changed to make up for lost time.

Premier Christy Clark tweeted shortly after the vote results were released, thanking teachers for “accepting our fair, affordable” agreement.

The contract includes a 7.25 per cent salary increase, improvements in extended health benefits and the teaching-on-call rates, as well as a $400-million education fund to hire specialist teachers.

That’s expected to fund another 250 teachers each year across B.C. In Vancouver, that could translate to about 25 more teachers distributed across the city’s more than 100 schools.

With files from The Canadian Press