Short answer
How do Mesa teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Mesa has pay grades, not columns. Under the 2024-2025 working conditions, approved coursework completed June 1 to May 31 adds education compensation to the next year's base salary, capped at 45 credits beyond a bachelor's and 60 beyond a master's. Courses needed approval within one week of the first class; transcripts were due July 15.
Source: MEA Working Conditions 2024-2025 (NCTQ-hosted copy) and the 2026-2027 Certified Salary Schedule, Mesa Public Schools. Checked .
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How is the Mesa teacher salary schedule organized?
The current schedule is the 2026-2027 Certified Salary Schedule, printed as Recommendation D in a May 14, 2026 memo from the Executive Director of Human Resources titled "Meet and Confer Recommendations". The Governing Board approved the 2026-27 Compensation Plan built on that memo at its regular meeting the same day, and the recommendations took effect July 1, 2026 unless a specific item said otherwise.
The schedule has no steps or lanes. It lists pay grades, each with a starting rate and an ending rate:
- Certified;
- Certified I, Certified II and Certified III, each priced separately for 9.75-, 10.75- and 12-month calendars;
- Psychologist Intern, Psychologist, Speech Language Pathologist, and OTPT / Audiologist.
The gap between a grade's starting and ending rate is a percentage the Board approved on May 27, 2025. For 2026-27, Meet and Confer raised starting rates and gave returning exempt employees, certified staff among them, a flat increase that cannot carry them past the new ending rate; anyone who reaches the ceiling receives the remainder as a one-time stipend in November. The Mesa Education Association (MEA) represents all certified employees in this process, members or not. If the vocabulary is unfamiliar, see how to read a salary schedule.
Which units count toward a Mesa column change?
The coursework rules sit in Article 7(c) of the MEA Working Conditions document, "Compensation Plan - Hiring Guidelines for Returning Employees". The 2024-2025 edition, which refers to Governing Board policy GCBA, is the latest one we could open, and it is a copy hosted by the National Council on Teacher Quality rather than by the district. Treat it as the most recent published version, not as the 2026-27 text.
Under that edition, a returning teacher's new base is last year's base plus any across-the-board adjustment plus education compensation earned. What counts:
- graduate-level coursework on an official transcript from a college or university accredited through the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), paid per credit hour;
- graduate-level coursework documented by a certificate of completion from a CHEA-recognized state college or university;
- district-approved professional development, at one credit per 16 classroom hours or half a credit per 8, unless you were already paid a stipend to attend;
- up to 12 undergraduate credits, and only those earned while employed by Mesa;
- since July 1, 2024, college credit for internships required for a post-baccalaureate or graduate degree.
Coursework must be relevant to pre-K to 12 education or to your job. The caps are 45 credits beyond a bachelor's and 60 beyond a master's, and only work taken after all degree requirements were met counts. If a master's program required more than 45 credits, the extra credits are applied above the master's. Repeated courses, grades below C, and courses taken to obtain or convert a provisional or reciprocal certificate or to clear deficiencies are not paid. A master's or doctorate earns its own amount unless the degree is required for the position. Master's or added credits? sets out the trade-off.
Does Mesa require approval before you take a course?
Yes, on two timelines. A teacher planning a master's or doctorate files a proposed course of study with Human Resources, and it must be signed by the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources or a designee before enrollment in any class. Every other course, except the district's own professional development, must be submitted for approval within one week after the first day of class.
If you disagree with how the guidelines were applied, the 2024-2025 text allows a written appeal to the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources within five school days of learning the decision, with a ruling due within five school days of receipt. Our pre-approval forms guide covers what an approval request should contain.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Mesa counts coursework and degrees completed between June 1 and May 31, and applies them to the following school year's base salary. Two deadlines apply under the 2024-2025 text. An official transcript or certificate of completion goes to Human Resources within 45 days after the last day of class, and transcripts for the year's coursework and degrees are due no later than July 15. Anything completed before June 1 of the previous year is not considered.
A worked example under those rules: a course that ends on April 10 needs its transcript filed within 45 days, by May 25, falls inside the June-to-May year, and raises base salary for the contract that begins that July. A course ending June 5 belongs to the next window. Registrar delays are the usual reason a credit slips a year; see transcript deadlines.
Do the same units count toward Arizona license renewal?
They can serve both purposes. ADE renews a 12-year standard certificate with 180 clock hours, earned at 15 per year, and converts a semester hour of college work to 15 clock hours. Mesa's district professional development credit uses its own 16-hour conversion for pay, which is separate from ADE's count. The renewal section of the Arizona state guide has the details.
Where can Mesa teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Mesa 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 Mesa's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What Mesa says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Mesa: Graduate-level, CHEA-accredited; 45 past a BA, 60 past an MA | 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 | Mesa: July 15; 2024-2025 text; 45 days after each class | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Mesa: Within one week of the first class; degree plans: before enrolling | 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)
- CE Credits Online: self-paced, 180 days, units through Valley City State, Augustana, Adams State or Cal Poly Humboldt; from $449 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Connected Classroom Courses: self-paced, letter grade, units through CSU Pueblo; $389 + university fee for 3 credits (price notes)
- Upward Teachers: self-paced, 1 to 6 months, letter grade, units through UMass Global; $240 sale for 3 credits (price notes)
- VESi: self-paced online, 2- or 3-unit courses on special-needs instruction, units through University of the Pacific; $444 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 Mesa has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Mesa salary questions teachers ask
When are transcripts due for Mesa education compensation?
Under the 2024-2025 working conditions, July 15 for coursework completed June 1 to May 31, and within 45 days after the last day of each class.
How many credits does Mesa pay for?
Up to 45 credits beyond a bachelor's and 60 beyond a master's, counting only coursework taken after the degree was completed, under the 2024-2025 text.
Does Mesa pay for district professional development hours?
Yes. District-approved professional development earns one credit per 16 classroom hours, unless you were paid a stipend to attend.
Does Mesa Public Schools have a step and lane salary schedule?
No. The 2026-2027 Certified Salary Schedule lists pay grades, each with a starting and an ending rate, approved by the Governing Board on May 14, 2026.
Where can Mesa teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Mesa 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, CE Credits Online, Connected Classroom Courses, Upward Teachers and VESi. 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
- Meet and Confer Recommendations, including the 2026-2027 Certified Salary Schedule (memo dated May 14, 2026), Mesa Public Schools Governing Board. Checked
- 2026-2027 Compensation Plan, Recommendations from Meet and Confer, approved at the May 14, 2026 regular meeting, Mesa Public Schools. Checked
- MEA Working Conditions 2024-2025, Mesa Public Schools (NCTQ-hosted copy). Checked
- Educator Certification: Renew Your Certification, Arizona Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error