Short answer
How do Chandler teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
There are no columns. Chandler adds a per-credit amount to base salary for each pre-approved graduate-level credit hour beyond initial certification, capped at 96 semester hours with a master's and 54 without. Submit at least 3 and no more than 30 hours a year, with official transcripts, by February 15 at 4:30 pm.
Source: Certified Staff Salary Schedule 2026-2027 and HR FAQs, Chandler Unified School District. Checked .
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How is the Chandler teacher salary schedule organized?
The Certified Staff Salary Schedule 2026-2027 is a two-page summary dated February 25, 2026, and it appeared as a consent item in the Governing Board packet for the meeting that day. It covers classroom teachers and school counselors together, printing one entry salary and one maximum salary for the position rather than a grid of steps and lanes.
A teacher's total base contract is built from three pieces:
- New hire base. Teachers new to Chandler receive experience credit for up to 8 years of prior teaching, with credit beginning in the second year of experience. The schedule's table runs from "less than 2 years" to "eight years".
- Graduate-level coursework. A fixed amount per credit hour beyond initial certification, added to base and capped at 96 semester hours.
- Advanced degrees. A one-time addition for the first advanced degree in an education-related area (a master's or a doctorate, or completion of 36 hours, as the schedule's earnings list puts it), and a smaller addition for each later advanced degree.
The same page lists other earnings that sit outside the coursework formula: performance pay tied to state funding, a one-time payment linked to district metrics, and a National Board Certification amount. Because the schedule gives amounts per credit rather than per lane, the general advice in how to read a salary schedule applies only loosely; the useful question at Chandler is how many hours you have on file, not which column you sit in.
Which units count toward a Chandler column change?
The schedule pays for "graduate level coursework beyond certification". Hours that were part of earning your initial Arizona certificate do not add pay, and the HR FAQ adds that a course completed before you were hired does not either, because starting pay already reflected the hiring schedule at that time.
Two conversion rules sit in a footnote on the schedule. Courses that do not meet the university standard of 15 contact hours per semester hour are given prorated credit, and quarter hours are converted to semester hours at a two-thirds ratio. A 3-quarter-unit course therefore counts as 2 semester hours. Our explainer on quarter and semester units walks through the arithmetic.
The HR FAQ for certified professional growth adds these limits:
- Only a grade of C or above is accepted for salary advancement.
- The ceiling is 96 semester hours, described as a master's (36 hours) plus 60 more. Without a master's, the most that can be compensated is 54 hours. Nothing is paid for professional development beyond an EdD, a PhD or the 96-hour mark.
- Each calendar year you may submit a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 30 semester hours. With fewer than 3, the FAQ asks you to wait and submit the next year.
- Cohort participants may submit yearly. Teacher In Residence participants submit at the end of their two-year program, up to 30 hours.
The schedule also pays a professional development rate for "approved university and in-district credit", so district-run courses can count alongside college transcripts. Chandler names no list of approved or excluded colleges in these documents; the test is pre-approval of the course itself. For a broader view of what districts usually screen for, see units that count.
Does Chandler require approval before you take a course?
Yes, for every course. Asked whether all courses need pre-approval, the HR FAQ answers with a single word: yes. Requests go through PowerSchool Professional Learning, and the FAQ says you can request pre-approval for fewer than 3 credits, but you need at least 3 when you submit transcripts to the Professional Learning Salary Advancement Portal.
In practice that means two separate actions in the same system: a pre-approval request before you enroll, and a salary advancement submission once grades are posted. Keep the approval record. Our guide to pre-approval forms covers what to include in a request, and will my district accept it? lists the questions worth answering before you pay tuition.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
The request form and official transcripts must be in no later than February 15 at 4:30 pm. Unofficial copies are refused, and the FAQ is blunt about a late transcript: official transcripts are required with your submission. Teachers are notified of the outcome in February.
Chandler handles transcripts differently from many districts. Do not have them mailed or e-mailed to Human Resources. Have paper transcripts sent to your home, or electronic transcripts sent to your own e-mail address, then scan or upload them in PowerSchool Professional Learning after your pre-approval request. The FAQ suggests opening sealed paper transcripts to check that every course appears. Official copies on university paper, with the university seal, or as official e-transcripts are accepted.
Coursework pay and advanced-degree amounts are added to base salary rather than paid as a separate stipend. For the general timing problem of waiting on a college registrar, see transcript deadlines.
Do the same units count toward Arizona license renewal?
Often they can. The Arizona Department of Education renews a 12-year standard certificate with 180 professional development clock hours and treats one semester hour of college coursework as 15 clock hours, so a 3-hour course a Chandler teacher submits for pay is worth 45 renewal hours if ADE accepts the transcript. Salary credit and renewal are still separate decisions made by different offices. The Arizona renewal section of our Arizona guide has the full rules.
Where can Chandler teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Chandler included, decides for itself whether a course counts for the purpose a teacher needs it for: a column move, a stipend, license renewal or an added endorsement. No provider, university or website can make that decision, so the rules above come first, and written approval from Chandler's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What Chandler says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Chandler: Graduate-level hours after certification; quarter hours at 2/3; C or better | Semester or quarter units, graduate-level or not, and the university named on the transcript and its accreditor |
| Grade | See units that count | Letter grade or pass/fail on the transcript |
| Deadline | Chandler: February 15, 4:30 pm | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Chandler: Required for all courses; PowerSchool Professional Learning | Course descriptions or syllabi you can attach to an approval form |
| Price | Not set by the district | All-in price per credit, including any university or first-course fee (compare) |
Graduate-level credit providers, listed with the same facts
With those rules in hand, compare providers on the same points. Providers listed on this site, each with the same facts:
- Teacher Friendly: self-paced online, units through University of the Pacific; $336 first course for 3 credits (price notes)
- Credits for Educators: self-paced online, units through University of the Pacific; $297 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Connected Classroom Courses: self-paced, letter grade, units through CSU Pueblo; $389 + university fee for 3 credits (price notes)
- Credits for Teachers: self-paced, 6 months, units through Valley City State, Adams State, UMass Global or CSU Pueblo; from $349 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Dominican CA Online: self-paced, units through Dominican University of California; $477 for 3 credits (price notes)
- For Teachers By Teachers: self-paced, units through CSU Pueblo or UMass Global; $285 CSU Pueblo for 3 credits (price notes)
The provider directory lists 28 providers and programs by what teachers need them for, and Compare sets published prices for 16 of them side by side, with transcripts from 11 universities. A listing on this site does not mean Chandler has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Chandler salary questions teachers ask
What is the Chandler Unified professional growth deadline?
February 15 at 4:30 pm. The request form and official transcripts must both be submitted by then; unofficial transcripts are not accepted.
Does Chandler accept quarter units?
Yes, converted to semester hours at a two-thirds ratio, according to the 2026-2027 Certified Staff Salary Schedule.
How many credits can a Chandler teacher submit in a year?
At least 3 and no more than 30 semester hours per calendar year. Teacher In Residence participants submit at the end of their two-year program, up to 30 hours.
Is there a cap on paid credit hours at Chandler?
Yes. Teachers with a master's are paid for up to 96 semester hours; without a master's the cap is 54. No professional development pay is added beyond an EdD, a PhD or 96 hours.
Should I send transcripts directly to Chandler Human Resources?
No. Have them sent to your home or your own e-mail, then upload them in PowerSchool Professional Learning after your pre-approval request.
Where can Chandler teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Chandler decides which courses count, under the rules on this page, so check with human resources before you enroll. Providers that teachers compare include Teacher Friendly, Credits for Educators, Connected Classroom Courses, Credits for Teachers, Dominican CA Online and For Teachers By Teachers. They differ in format, transcript university, grading time and price; the provider directory and the Compare page list 16 providers with the same facts for each.
Sources
- Certified Staff Salary Schedule 2026-2027 (dated February 25, 2026), Chandler Unified School District Governing Board packet. Checked
- HR FAQs, Cert Prof Growth category, Chandler Unified School District Human Resources. Checked
- Teacher Salaries, Chandler Unified School District. Checked
- Educator Certification: Renew Your Certification, Arizona Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error