Short answer
How do Red Clay teachers move to a higher column on the salary scale?
Red Clay teachers move columns through a Delaware graduate salary increment (GSI). The teacher applies in DEEDS, the college sends an official transcript, and DDOE approves the move: "all movement on the pay scale must be approved by DOE." Bachelor's-plus columns count only credits inside a master's program; applications received after June 1 take effect the next fiscal year.
Source: Graduate salary increments, Red Clay HR, and 14 DE Admin. Code 728. Checked .
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How is the Red Clay teacher salary scale organized?
Red Clay's FY27 Teachers and Nurses Salary Scale, effective August 23, 2026, covers teachers, nurses and other specialists in the Red Clay Education Association. It has nine columns: No Degree, Bachelor's, Bachelor's + 15, Bachelor's + 30, Master's, Master's + 15, Master's + 30, Master's + 45 and Doctorate. Each column runs from step 1 to step 17, and each cell shows a state amount, a local amount and the total.
The split mirrors Delaware law: the state sets the base columns, and the district adds local money. A longevity amount is added to the local salary at steps 6 to 14, 15 to 20, 21 to 25 and 26 and up. A footnote says teachers in the No Degree, Bachelor's and Bachelor's + 15 columns who meet the requirements of Title 14 § 1305(a)(1)-(8) are paid under those provisions. The district's pay scales page notes that scales may be adjusted for rounding once state tables are released.
The most recent teachers' agreement we found, the Red Clay–RCEA agreement for September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2026 (hosted by NCTQ), adds a longevity increment beginning in the 26th year of credited experience. We did not find a successor agreement posted when we checked. If the grid is new to you, see how to read a salary schedule.
Which units count toward a Red Clay column change?
Because the columns are the state's, the rules are the state's. Regulation 728 and DDOE's GSI user guide, posted by Red Clay, set them out by column:
- Bachelor's + 15 and + 30. Teachers "enrolled in a master's degree program at a regionally accredited college or university" may move after 15 or 30 graduate credits toward that master's.
- Master's. The degree must be "directly related to an area or specialty in which the educator is employed, or as required by regulation."
- Master's + 15, + 30 and + 45. Credits earned after the master's is conferred count only if they are graduate level and come from "a graduate level course of study clearly related to the educator's professional responsibilities," a second master's, or matriculated doctoral study. The regulation defines a graduate-level course of study as "a non matriculated but focused and coherent program of study (e.g., a Certificate Program)."
- Grades and reuse. Each course needs a B or higher, or a pass, and "no credit may be applied more than once toward movement on the salary schedule." Quarter hours convert to semester hours at two-thirds.
DDOE's GSI information sheet narrows this further. It says "An ad-hoc group of unrelated coursework does not qualify as a course of study," requires regional accreditation and authorization to operate in Delaware, and says "Professional development coursework for which an educator purchases graduate credits may not be used for GSIs." Red Clay's own page explains why: such credits "are offered at a significantly reduced cost," often through "a third-party vendor or satellite company or campus," and "Accreditation does not extend from the IHE to the PD provider." DDOE checks the university's academic course catalog, where those courses are not listed. Our article on graduate-level credit and degree credit explains the difference.
Does Red Clay require approval before you take a course?
Approval before enrolling is not required by Regulation 728, but DDOE strongly recommends it whenever there is a question about a degree, course of study or institution. The information sheet describes the Graduate Level Salary Increments Approval Form: the teacher completes it, Red Clay HR acknowledges it, and DDOE Licensure and Certification reviews it, with up to four weeks for processing. The form itself states that credits must relate to the area in which the educator is employed and that "Professional Development coursework is not acceptable." The information sheet also warns that "District or charter approval does not equate to or guarantee DDOE approval," and lists "red flags," such as coursework offered through a separate entity rather than the university itself, or a provider that charges one price for professional development and another for the same course with credit.
Tuition reimbursement is a separate approval. Article 20 of the 2023–2026 agreement says local tuition reimbursement is for courses "directly related to the teaching profession and subject to the approval of the Superintendent or his designee." Our pre-approval forms guide covers what to keep from each step.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
You apply only after the credits are complete: "No applications will be considered prior to the completion of credits necessary for movement on the salary schedule." Red Clay's page lists the steps: log in to DEEDS 3.0 through ClassLink, choose "Apply for PreK-12 Public School," select "Graduate Salary Increment," and have the university send an official transcript directly to DDOE. "Transcripts sent from an applicant will not be accepted."
Under Regulation 728, an application for the current fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) "must be received in the Department no later than June 1." Once approved, the raise is retroactive "to the first of the month following the date certified by transcript or official grade slip," but "no salary increment shall be retroactive to a prior fiscal year." A course finished in March and filed in April is paid from April 1; the same course filed in July waits for the new fiscal year. See transcript deadlines for why the filing date matters.
Do the same units count toward Delaware license renewal?
Renewal runs on a different test. A Delaware continuing license renews with 90 clock hours of professional development in the five-year term, and a college course counts at 15 clock hours per semester hour only when, in Regulation 1511's words, "the course shall be completed within a matriculated masters program, doctoral program or a graduate level course of study" (or is a related undergraduate course), with a grade of B or better. Other listed activities count by verified clock hours. The details, including employer approval before the activity, are in the Delaware renewal section of our Delaware guide.
Where can Red Clay teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Red Clay 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 Red Clay's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
At Red Clay, every column move is a Delaware graduate salary increment approved by the Department of Education. A teacher with a bachelor's degree moves only on graduate credits earned inside a master's program; a teacher with a master's moves on credits from a graduate-level course of study, a second master's or doctoral study (see units that count). Stand-alone courses do not qualify on their own. Renewal has its own test: a course counts toward the 90 clock hours only inside a master's, doctoral or graduate-level course of study; see the renewal section.
Red Clay's graduate salary increments page says Professional Learning coursework that appears on an official transcript as a graduate course is "not equivalent to official graduate course credits," and that "the courses are not acceptable" for an increment. The Department of Education's information sheet adds that "Professional development coursework for which an educator purchases graduate credits may not be used for GSIs." Many continuing-education courses for teachers are sold as exactly that kind of credit, so check any course against both documents, and use the state pre-approval form, before you enroll.
Because Red Clay screens courses and providers under its own rules, this page does not point to any one provider. Check a course against those rules and get written approval before you pay for it. Published prices for 16 providers are on Compare; check each one against Red Clay's rules.
Red Clay salary questions teachers ask
Who approves a column change at Red Clay?
The Delaware Department of Education. Red Clay's HR page says all movement on the pay scale must be approved by DOE, through a graduate salary increment application in DEEDS.
Can a Red Clay teacher with a bachelor's degree move columns with stand-alone graduate courses?
No. Under Regulation 728, the Bachelor's + 15 and + 30 columns count graduate credits earned while enrolled in a master's degree program at a regionally accredited college or university.
When is the Red Clay graduate salary increment deadline?
DDOE must receive the application by June 1 for it to count in the current fiscal year. Later applications take effect on July 1, the first day of the next fiscal year.
Does Red Clay accept professional learning credits on a university transcript?
Not for a salary increment. Red Clay's page says Professional Learning credits are not equivalent to official graduate course credits and are not acceptable.
Sources
- Graduate salary increments, Red Clay Consolidated School District Human Resources. Checked
- FY27 Teachers and Nurses Salary Scale, Red Clay Consolidated School District. Checked
- Pay scales, Red Clay Consolidated School District. Checked
- Graduate Level Salary Increment Information, Delaware Department of Education (posted by Red Clay). Checked
- Graduate Salary Increments User Guide, Delaware Department of Education (posted by Red Clay). Checked
- Graduate Level Salary Increments Approval Form (updated February 8, 2023), Delaware Department of Education. Checked
- 14 DE Admin. Code 728, Graduate Level Salary Increments, State of Delaware. Checked
- Agreement between the Red Clay Board of Education and the Red Clay Education Association, September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2026, hosted by NCTQ. Checked
- 14 DE Admin. Code 1511, Continuing License, State of Delaware. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error