Delaware guide

Delaware teacher salary schedules, lane changes and license renewal

Delaware runs both renewal and pay through the state: a continuing license renews on 90 clock hours every five years, and the salary schedule in state law decides which graduate-level coursework moves you to a plus-credit column. Districts add local money on top, but the Department of Education approves every column move.

By TeacherPayGuide editorsPublished · 9 min read

Short answer

How do Delaware teachers renew a license and move up the salary schedule?

A Delaware continuing license renews every five years with 90 clock hours of professional development completed during the current term. A semester hour counts as 15 clock hours, and a quarter hour or CEU as 10. Pay follows the state salary schedule in 14 Del. C. § 1305, with plus-15, plus-30 and plus-45 columns; the Department of Education approves each move as a graduate-level salary increment.

Source: 14 DE Admin. Code 1511, Continuing License. Checked .

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How do you renew a Delaware teaching license?

The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) issues licenses under rules from the Professional Standards Board. The continuing license is covered by 14 DE Admin. Code 1511. Section 9.1 requires "90 clock hours of professional development or professional learning" during the current five-year term.

The rule is specific about what counts and how it converts:

  • Clock hours are real time. The rule defines them as actual time spent in the activity, "not credit hours."
  • College courses convert. "1 semester hour equals 15 hours and 1 quarter semester hour or Continuing Education Unit (CEU) equals 10 hours." Courses must come from a regionally accredited institution or a Department-approved provider, with a grade of B or better, or a pass.
  • Relevance. An activity must meet one of three tests, such as "the activity enhances the educator's understandings and abilities in the educator's job."
  • Approval first. Section 9.1.2 calls for "approval from the educator's employing authority before participating."
  • Caps on some activities. Serving as a cooperating teacher or intern supervisor counts for at most 45 clock hours over five years; presentations and professional learning communities each count for at most 15.

The final word belongs to the state: "the Department ultimately determines whether an activity satisfies the requirements for renewal." DDOE's renewals user guide shows the process in the Delaware Educator Data System (DEEDS): you add clock hours and supporting documents there, earned within the term of the license, and track the application from your dashboard.

A three-credit semester course covers 45 of the 90 hours, so two courses meet the full requirement. Our article on clock hours, CEUs and semester credits compares this conversion with other states.

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A lapsed license has a grace window. Under section 6 of Regulation 1511, a license renewed within 30 days of expiring is reissued without a gap. After that and up to five years, it is reissued with a gap using 90 hours from the prior five years; after five years, you apply for an Initial License.

How do Delaware teachers move to a higher salary column?

Delaware writes its teacher salary schedule into state law. 14 Del. C. § 1305 sets the state share of pay in columns for No Degree, Bachelor's, Bachelor's plus 15 and plus 30, Master's, Master's plus 15, plus 30 and plus 45, and Doctor's. Under § 1304, a local board may pay "an additional amount of salary" from local funds, so district schedules show a state part and a local part for each step. Under § 1312, 91 days in a school year count as a year of experience.

The statute limits which coursework moves a teacher right on the schedule:

  • Bachelor's plus 15 and plus 30. Since fiscal year 2005, § 1305(p) approves these columns only for graduate-level credits earned toward a master's degree in which the teacher is matriculated.
  • Master's plus 15, 30 and 45. Approved if the credits come from "a graduate-level course of study" that is "clearly related to the individual's professional responsibilities," or from a second master's, or from matriculated doctoral study.
  • Degrees. Under § 1305(u), for educators hired after August 12, 2024, a master's or doctorate earned before the initial hire date counts regardless of subject; one earned after hire must be directly related to the area in which the educator is employed.

DDOE's Regulation 728, Graduate Level Salary Increments sets the procedure:

  • Grades and reuse. A grade of B or higher, or a pass, and "no credit may be applied more than once toward movement on the salary schedule."
  • Filing. Apply electronically in DEEDS; official transcripts go from the institution to the employer's HR office, unopened.
  • Deadline. The application "must be received in the Department no later than June 1" to count for the current fiscal year; later ones take effect the next fiscal year.
  • Effective date. Pay is retroactive "to the first of the month following the date certified by transcript," but "no salary increment shall be retroactive to a prior fiscal year."

A DDOE information sheet on graduate-level salary increments adds that district or charter approval "does not equate to or guarantee DDOE approval," and that Delaware requires coursework from a regionally accredited college or university. Our article on graduate-level credit and degree credit explains why the distinction matters.

What do the largest Delaware districts require?

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Red Clay Consolidated School District

Read the full Red Clay guide →

Red Clay's FY27 teachers and nurses salary scale, effective August 23, 2026, follows the state columns from No Degree through Master's plus 45 and Doctorate, each split into state and local amounts, with longevity added to the local salary at set steps. The district's pay scales page notes that scales may be adjusted for rounding after state tables are released.

  • Approval: "all movement on the pay scale must be approved by DOE."
  • What counts: "Professional Learning credits are not equivalent to official graduate course credits," and DOE does not accept them for increments.
  • Filing: apply in DEEDS under Graduate Salary Increment; the official transcript must come directly from the institution, and "transcripts sent from an applicant will not be accepted."
Source: Red Clay HR, Graduate salary increments
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Christina School District

Read the full Christina guide →

Christina's 2026-27 teachers' salary schedule covers a 188-day year of 7.5-hour days and lists a state and a local amount for each step. Separate schedules apply to grandfathered staff and to Wilmington schools, and the district's compensation guidelines note that staff work under separate collective bargaining agreements.

  • Columns: No Degree, Bachelor's, Bachelor's plus 15 and plus 30, Master's, Master's plus 15, 30, 45 and 60, and Doctorate.
  • Local column: Master's plus 60 is marked "Approved Credits Only; State Level = Master +45," so the state share stops at plus 45 while the district adds a local column above it.
  • Column moves: approved by DDOE as graduate-level salary increments under Regulation 728.
Source: Christina compensation and salary

Neither district posted a current teachers' collective bargaining agreement when we checked, so the column rules on this page come from state law and Regulation 728, which both districts follow for plus-credit moves.

Full district guides for Delaware

ChristinaChristina pays on Delaware's state columns from No Degree to Doctorate, adds a local Master's + 60 column for approved credits, and moves teachers only through graduate salary increments applied for in DEEDS, which the Department of Education must receive by June 1 to count in the current fiscal year.Red ClayRed Clay pays on Delaware's state salary columns, from No Degree to Doctorate, with a local share on top. Every column move is a graduate salary increment approved by the Department of Education, filed in DEEDS, with applications due by June 1 for the current fiscal year.

Before you enroll

  1. Count your term. You need 90 clock hours inside the current five-year license; one three-credit course gives 45.
  2. Ask your employer first. Regulation 1511 calls for employing-authority approval before the activity, and DDOE makes the final call.
  3. Match the course to the column. Bachelor's-plus columns need graduate-level credits toward a master's you are enrolled in; master's-plus columns need a related graduate-level course of study.
  4. Check the institution. Delaware requires regional accreditation, and Red Clay notes that professional learning credits do not count toward increments.
  5. File before June 1. Apply in DEEDS and have the institution send the transcript to HR; late applications wait for the next fiscal year.

The provider directory groups semester-credit providers by need, and the comparison table shows their costs and formats side by side.

Delaware questions teachers ask

How many hours do I need to renew a Delaware teaching license?

Ninety clock hours of professional development or professional learning during the current five-year term, under 14 DE Admin. Code 1511.

How many clock hours is a college credit worth in Delaware?

One semester hour equals 15 clock hours, and one quarter hour or CEU equals 10. Courses need a grade of B or better, or a pass, from a regionally accredited institution or a Department-approved provider.

What is a graduate-level salary increment in Delaware?

It is DDOE's approval to move to a higher column on the state salary schedule, such as Master's plus 15. Regulation 728 requires a grade of B or higher, a DEEDS application and an official transcript sent from the institution.

What is the deadline for a Delaware salary increment?

DDOE must receive the application by June 1 for it to count in the current fiscal year. Pay is retroactive to the first of the month after the transcript date, but not into a prior fiscal year.

Can I use the same credits for renewal and a salary increment?

Renewal and increments are separate approvals. Regulation 728 bars using a credit more than once toward salary schedule movement; check with your district and DDOE before counting a course for both.

Sources

  1. 14 DE Admin. Code 1511, Continuing License, Delaware Division of Research. Checked
  2. DEEDS renewals user guide, Delaware Department of Education. Checked
  3. 14 Del. C. Chapter 13, Salaries of employees, Delaware General Assembly. Checked
  4. 14 DE Admin. Code 728, Graduate Level Salary Increments, Delaware Division of Research. Checked
  5. Graduate level salary increment information, Delaware Department of Education. Checked
  6. Pay scales, Red Clay Consolidated School District. Checked
  7. FY27 teachers and nurses salary scale, Red Clay Consolidated School District. Checked
  8. Graduate salary increments, Red Clay Consolidated School District. Checked
  9. Teachers' salary schedule, SY 2026-2027, Christina School District. Checked
  10. Compensation guidelines, Christina School District. Checked
  11. Compensation and salary, Christina School District. Checked

Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error

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