Short answer
How do SAUSD teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
SAUSD has four classes: Class II at BA+24 units, Class III at BA+45, and Class IV for a master's or doctorate. Units must come from a WASC-accredited or similar college with a C, pass or credit. A column change starts the first of the month after Human Resources has the application and official transcript, with no retroactivity.
Source: Annual Certificated Salary Schedule 2026-2027 and SAEA agreement, Article VII. Checked .
TeacherPayGuide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Santa Ana Unified School District. This guide summarizes the district's published documents as read on ; those documents and the district's human resources office decide your placement. It is general information, not legal or employment advice. Disclaimer Report an error
How is the SAUSD teacher salary schedule organized?
Human Resources posts the Annual Certificated Salary Schedule 2026-2027 (schedule A1), based on 187 workdays, Board approved June 16, 2026, with a 2.5% increase effective July 1, 2026. Versions for longer work years (192, 202, 207, 211 and 225 days) sit beside it as A-2 through A-6 on the certificated salary schedules page. No pay figures appear here.
The four columns read across the top as:
- Class I: BA. Steps 1 to 7.
- Class II: BA + 24 units. Steps 1 to 10.
- Class III: BA + 45 units. Steps 1 to 11.
- Class IV: Masters/Doctorate. Steps 1 to 12, then longevity Steps 16, 21 and 26.
Two footnotes shape placement. Class I, capped at Step 5, applies to every teacher who does not hold a full preliminary, clear or general credential, whatever their education (in effect for new hires since July 1, 2008). A doctorate adds a 1% stipend to Class IV at every step. Under Article 7.3, the longevity steps open after 15, 20 and 25 years of credited district service, and only for teachers qualified for Class IV, so a master's matters late in a career as well as early. New hires may bring up to 15 years of comparable experience for step placement (Article 7.2.3).
Which units count toward an SAUSD column change?
Article 7.1.1 sets four conditions. Units from postgraduate study must be taken from, or accepted by, a college or university accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges or an agency of similar status. Each unit needs a grade of C, pass or credit or better. Units are semester units; quarter units are multiplied by 2/3. Units taken before the current agreement are judged by the rules in effect when they were taken.
District in-service has its own rate under 7.1.3: one unit for 15 to 18 hours of classroom instruction, half a unit for 8 to 14 hours, and nothing under 8 hours without approval from the Superintendent or designee. Special education and support staff who complete the SB1969 training receive 3 semester units. Nurses' CEUs count if required for the state nursing license, and speech-language specialists' CEUs count with prior approval from their administrator and Human Resources.
Appendix IN.2.2, which governs the teachers' salary schedule, adds that units taken before the bachelor's can count if the college designates them as post-graduate and they were not required for the BA. For how other districts treat the same question, see which units count.
An example: a Class I teacher has 19 post-graduate semester units on file. Two 3-unit courses in her subject area bring her to 25, past the 24 needed for Class II. Nine quarter units from a quarter-system campus would add only 6.
Does SAUSD require approval before you take a course?
Often, yes. Article 7.1.2 sorts coursework into groups:
- Units for a clear credential or certificate required in the present assignment count without advance approval.
- Units toward a credential outside the present assignment need advance approval of the Associate Superintendent, Human Resources or designee.
- Any course outside the teacher's major or minor that is not taken for a clear, specialized or added credential authorization must be "meaningfully related" to the present or immediate future assignment and needs written approval before enrollment, with a course description (a college catalog copy or flyer) attached.
The contract gives examples of "meaningfully related": subjects the teacher teaches, Spanish, multicultural courses, learning theory or methodology, computer classroom applications, and courses on school social problems. A master's or doctorate must be meaningfully related to education. Workshops and conferences (7.1.5) need prior approval for attendance and credit, must be paid by the teacher or a party other than the district, and cannot involve district-paid release time. Cases the article does not cover can go to the Salary Credit Review Committee, three Association and two management members, through Human Resources. Our pre-approval forms guide explains why the paper trail matters.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
SAUSD has no annual filing window. Under Article 7.1.6, a column change takes effect the first of the month after Human Resources receives four things: the application form for column change, an official transcript bearing the registrar's seal and signature, course approval forms where required, and any credential verification 7.1.2 calls for. Grade reports, letters and unofficial transcripts are not accepted, even temporarily.
There is no retroactivity. A transcript that reaches Human Resources on September 2 pays from October 1, not from the date the course ended. Teachers entering Class IV with a master's or doctorate move the first month after the district receives official written verification that all degree work is complete. A teacher who has sat at the end of a column for a year or more and then reclassifies also receives the step increase at that point (7.1.7). New hires are placed from official unopened transcripts; under Appendix IN.2.1, placement is backdated to the first duty day only if those transcripts arrive within 45 days, and a teacher without them starts on Class I.
Do the same units count toward California license renewal?
A clear California credential renews online every five years with no coursework, according to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing's leaflet CL-494; a preliminary credential has to be cleared rather than renewed. SAUSD units are therefore a salary question. The California guide's renewal section and renewal vs. salary credit explain the difference.
Where can SAUSD teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, SAUSD 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 SAUSD's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What SAUSD says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | SAUSD: WASC or similar, C/pass/credit or better; quarter units × 2/3 | 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 | SAUSD: None fixed; new hires: 45 days | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | SAUSD: Written, before enrollment; for "meaningfully related" courses, workshops, out-of-assignment credentials | 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)
- 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)
- Fresno Pacific University CE: self-paced, up to 1 year, units through Fresno Pacific University; ≈$475 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Graduate Credit Courses: self-paced, units through Cal Poly Humboldt; $570 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 SAUSD has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
SAUSD salary questions teachers ask
Is an SAUSD column change retroactive?
No. Article 7.1.6 makes the change effective the first of the month after Human Resources receives the application and official transcript.
Must SAUSD sign off on a class before I enroll?
Usually. Courses outside your major or minor that are not for a required credential need written approval before enrollment, with a catalog description attached.
How many units does SAUSD need for Class II and Class III?
BA plus 24 units for Class II and BA plus 45 units for Class III, counted in semester units.
Can I reach the SAUSD longevity steps without a master's?
No. Steps 16, 21 and 26 require 15, 20 or 25 years of district service and qualification for Class IV.
Where can SAUSD teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
SAUSD 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, Dominican CA Online, For Teachers By Teachers, Fresno Pacific University CE and Graduate Credit Courses. 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
- Annual Certificated Salary Schedule 2026-2027 (A1), Santa Ana Unified School District. Checked
- Certificated Salary Schedules, Santa Ana Unified School District. Checked
- SAEA/SAUSD Collective Bargaining Agreement 2025-2028 (Article VII and Appendix IN), Santa Ana Unified School District. Checked
- Certificated Agreements, Santa Ana Unified School District. Checked
- Renewal and Reissuance of Credentials (CL-494), California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error