Short answer
How do SFUSD teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
SFUSD pays credentialed K-12 teachers in three groups: B6 (BA with fewer than 30 semester units), B7 (30 to 59) and B8 (60 or more). Accredited college courses count, as do in-service courses approved in advance. Transcripts can go to the HR Salary Unit at any time and take effect in the next monthly pay cycle.
Source: UESF–SFUSD Collective Bargaining Agreement 2025-2027, Article 11 and Appendix B. Checked .
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How is the SFUSD teacher salary schedule organized?
Appendix B of the agreement with United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) holds the salary tables, and the Salary Schedule Key lists every job code. For K-12 teachers the codes come in pairs:
- B6 and C6: BA with fewer than 30 semester units.
- B7 and C7: BA with more than 30 and fewer than 59 semester units.
- B8 and C8: BA with more than 60 semester units.
The B codes are for fully credentialed teachers; the C codes cover interns, emergency permits and other non-credentialed teachers. Deans and head counselors (R6 to R8) and high school department heads and special education content specialists (S6 to S8) follow the same three unit bands. The key gives K-12 teachers 185 service days in 2025 and 186 in 2026.
Each table's rows are labeled "Pay Scale Area (Verifiable Years of Service)." Group B6 prints ratings 1 through 13. Group B8 runs through rating 13 and then continues past rating 13 into Career Increments A through E, covering steps 14 to 16, 17 to 19, 20 to 22, 23 to 25 and 26 to 28. Under Article 11, a teacher at the top rating moves to Career Increment A after three complete school years there, and to each later increment after three more. Each table also carries separate QTEA and FWEA add-on columns beside the base salary. How those layers combine is easier to see with how to read a salary schedule open beside the table.
Which units count toward an SFUSD column change?
Section 11.5.2 lists four kinds of acceptable credit for salary classification:
- accredited university or college courses;
- in-service courses equivalent to college or university courses, approved in advance for a set number of units;
- courses in specialized schools, if approved in advance;
- teaching an in-service course without pay, if the course is approved in advance, for up to twice the credit given to participants.
Timing has one exception worth knowing. For the BA+30 and BA+60 classifications, section 11.6.3 counts college work finished before the bachelor's was granted, provided the transcript clearly designates it as graduate work and it was not used to meet undergraduate requirements.
There is also a relevance review. Appendix F, the memorandum behind the QTEA parcel tax, says that from August 1, 2008, academic units used for additional salary credit placement are reviewed by Human Resources, or a district designee, to see that they advance the teacher's subject area or credential. In a dispute, the Chief Administrative Officer or a designee decides. Coursework in your subject or toward an added authorization fits that test most clearly; the units that count guide discusses how districts read "related to assignment."
Worked example: a B7 teacher with 54 semester units past the bachelor's needs 6 more to reach the B8 band. Two 3-unit graduate-level courses in the teacher's subject would do it.
Does SFUSD require approval before you take a course?
For accredited college courses, Article 11 itself sets no pre-approval step; the relevance review happens when the units are submitted. Advance approval is required for in-service courses, specialized-school courses and in-service teaching, each approved for a stated number of units before you start. SFUSD's continuing-education page goes further for professional learning credit under Article 11.5.2: it lists district in-service, approved specialized-school courses, partner modules and "CSU Chico, UOP, or Induction units," and says "pre-approval is required before receiving credit," starting with a planning meeting with an advisor. If you plan to rely on one of those routes, get the approval in writing first. The pre-approval forms guide lists what such a request typically contains.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Section 11.6 requires an official transcript of college or university work, or an official record of in-service and specialized-school work, filed with the Human Resources Department, Salary Unit. Section 11.6.2 says filing for completed coursework can happen at any time and is effective in the next monthly pay cycle.
Section 11.5.1 adds annual dates: teachers who meet the requirements for a classification change in a school year receive it effective July 1, or August 1 for teachers hired on or after July 1, 1993. Read together, the agreement has no filing cutoff, and the Salary Unit is the office to ask how a mid-year transcript will be dated against those July and August effective dates. Our note on transcript deadlines covers why sending transcripts promptly protects pay.
Do the same units count toward California license renewal?
A clear California credential needs no coursework to renew. The Commission's CL-494 leaflet allows online renewal within one year before expiration, without further course work. SFUSD units therefore affect your pay group only. See our California guide and its renewal section for the preliminary-to-clear path.
Where can SFUSD teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, SFUSD 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 SFUSD's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Before you enroll: SFUSD's continuing-education page lists "CSU Chico, UOP, or Induction units" among the professional learning that may be credited under Article 11.5.2, and says "pre-approval is required before receiving credit." Meet with an advisor and get that approval before you start.
| Question | What SFUSD says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | SFUSD: Accredited college courses; plus approved in-service | 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 | SFUSD: Any time; HR Salary Unit | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | SFUSD: For in-service, specialized-school and professional learning units; advisor meeting first | 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)
- 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)
- 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 SFUSD has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
SFUSD salary questions teachers ask
How many units do I need to move from B7 to B8 in SFUSD?
Sixty semester units beyond the bachelor's. The Salary Schedule Key describes B8 as a BA with more than 60 semester units.
Is there an SFUSD deadline to submit transcripts?
No. Section 11.6.2 says a transcript for completed coursework can be filed at any time and is effective in the next monthly pay cycle.
Do units earned before my bachelor's count in SFUSD?
Only if the transcript clearly designates them as graduate work and they were not used for undergraduate requirements.
Do in-service courses count toward SFUSD salary classification?
Yes, if they are equivalent to college or university courses and approved in advance for a specified number of units.
Where can SFUSD teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
SFUSD 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, Credits for 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
- Collective Bargaining Agreement (Certificated), San Francisco Unified School District and United Educators of San Francisco, July 1, 2025–June 30, 2027: Article 11, Appendix B and Appendix F. Checked
- Salary Schedule Key, San Francisco Unified School District. Checked
- Earning Increment Salary Credit through Continuing Education, San Francisco Unified School District (Internet Archive copy captured June 15, 2026). Checked
- Renewal and Reissuance of Credentials (CL-494), California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error