Short answer
How do Duval teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
On the Grandfather schedule, Pay Scale TA, an advanced degree moves you from Grade 01 Bachelors to Grade 02 Masters, 03 Specialist or 04 Doctorate. Performance Pay teachers get an annual supplement instead, in-field only if hired on or after July 1, 2011. Separately, Incentive Pay covers 15 semester or 22 quarter hours approved in advance.
Source: Teacher Contract 2025-2027, Article XII, Duval County Public Schools and Duval Teachers United (union-hosted copy). Checked .
TeacherPayGuide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Duval County Public Schools. 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 Duval teacher salary schedule organized?
The 2025-2026 Teacher Pay Scales, effective July 1, 2025, include two teacher schedules, both for 10 months of 196 days at 7.33 hours a day.
Pay Scale TA, Teacher (Grandfather), is a true grid. Four grades run across the top: 01 Bachelors, 02 Masters, 03 Specialist and 04 Doctorate. Levels run down the side. Levels 1* through 14* carry an asterisk because no active teacher still occupies them; working teachers sit on Level 95 and the lettered levels AA through II, with II added on July 1, 2025. A teacher who worked one day more than half of the prior year in Duval moves down one level.
Pay Scale TC, Teacher (Performance Pay), is a minimum and maximum with no grid. Raises come from the annual evaluation: Highly Effective and Effective ratings earn a performance increase, and anything lower holds salary flat. New hires since July 1, 2015 are placed by verified full-time teaching years, matched to what an equally experienced Grandfather teacher earns. Anyone placed on or opting onto TC cannot return to TA.
A 2026-2027 tentative agreement reached July 31, 2026 and taken to a ratification vote dated August 10, 2026 adds level JJ, ties the Grandfather step to 99 days worked with no overall Unsatisfactory evaluation, and raises each advanced degree supplement. The packet says it takes effect after School Board and Florida Department of Education approval. Our salary lane names guide covers grade and level labels like these.
Do graduate-level courses raise pay at Duval?
Two different contract sections answer this, and they reward different things.
Degrees (Article XII.B). A Grandfather teacher with an advanced degree is paid from the Masters, Specialist or Doctorate grade of Pay Scale TA. A Performance Pay teacher hired before July 1, 2011 receives a degree supplement on top of TC. A teacher hired on or after that date receives the annual Advanced Degree Supplement at the highest level held, only if the degree is in the area of certification. The contract adds a warning about broad programs: general graduate degrees such as Curriculum and Instruction that match no Florida Department of Education certification subject are not acceptable unless the transcript names a major or specialization in the teacher's area, with Math, English, French and Elementary Education given as examples.
Credits (Article XII.D, Incentive Pay). A teacher holding regular certification can earn an annual incentive after completing 15 semester or 22 quarter hours at a fully accredited institution. The hours must belong to a planned program of studies leading to an advanced degree or an added certification area, approved in advance by the district. The 22-quarter-hour figure is the contract's own conversion; see quarter vs. semester units for how that ratio usually works. Credits can be applied only once at each certification or degree level, and courses from a lower-level program cannot be carried forward.
Does Duval require approval before you take a course?
For Incentive Pay, yes: the program of studies must be approved by the district before the credits are earned, and a new program needs approval at each certification level. For a degree supplement or column change, the contract sets no pre-approval step. Since July 1, 2024, though, a teacher may send an official or unofficial transcript to the Division of Human Resource Services (Employee Support) and ask for a review of eligibility for a supplement or rank change. Using that review before you finish a program, especially a broad one like Curriculum and Instruction, is the closest thing Duval has to a pre-check. Pre-approval forms explains what to keep from such a review.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
- Degrees: it is the teacher's job to make sure Employee Support has the transcript. A new degree is recognized for payroll when an official transcript from the accredited school shows the highest degree awarded, and "the effective date of the higher degree shall be as indicated on official transcript."
- Incentive Pay: payment starts on completion of the credits, as shown on the official transcript or a sealed grade report, and is prorated from that date. Evidence goes to the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resource Services. The incentive runs no longer than five years, except for teachers eligible before July 1, 1982, and it stops once a higher degree is paid.
The contract names no annual filing cutoff for either item. Transcript deadlines has ordering tips for sealed grade reports.
Do the same units count toward Florida license renewal?
They can do double duty. Under Rule 6A-4.0051, a Florida Professional Certificate renews once a teacher logs 120 inservice points, or six semester hours of college work, within a validity period lasting up to five years; one semester hour equals 20 points. That total has to touch each certificate subject and set aside one hour's worth for instruction of students with disabilities. So a Duval teacher working through an approved Incentive Pay program can pick courses in a certificate subject and cover renewal with the same credits. Inservice points, on the other hand, renew the certificate but never reach Incentive Pay, which requires college credit. The renewal rules on the Florida page go further, and the Florida guide covers the statewide picture for Duval teachers.
Where can Duval teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Duval 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 Duval's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
At Duval, the only unit-based award is Incentive Pay, and the agreement requires the credits to belong to a planned program of studies leading to an advanced degree or another area of certification, approved by the district before the credits are earned (see units that count). Units taken outside an approved plan do not qualify, so get the plan approved before you enroll. Units can also count toward Florida certificate renewal; see the renewal section.
| Question | What Duval says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Duval: Degrees; 15 semester or 22 quarter hours; Incentive Pay | 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 | Duval: None in the contract | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Duval: Required for Incentive Pay; optional transcript review for degrees | 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 Duval has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Duval salary questions teachers ask
Does Duval pay anything for 15 graduate-level credits without a degree?
Yes, through Incentive Pay under Article XII.D, if you hold regular certification and the 15 semester or 22 quarter hours belong to a program approved in advance. It lasts no longer than five years.
Will Duval accept my Curriculum and Instruction master's?
Only if the transcript shows a major or specialization in your certification area. The contract says general degrees matching no FDOE subject are not acceptable otherwise.
Can I switch back to the Grandfather schedule after moving to Performance Pay?
No. The pay scales state that teachers placed on or opting onto the Performance schedule cannot return.
Can Duval HR check my degree before I finish?
Since July 1, 2024, Employee Support will review an official or unofficial transcript for supplement or rank-change eligibility.
Where can Duval teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Duval 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
- 2025-2026 Teacher Pay Scales, effective July 1, 2025, Duval County Public Schools (union-hosted copy). Checked
- Teacher Contract 2025-2027, Duval County Public Schools and Duval Teachers United (union-hosted copy). Checked
- 2026-2027 Teacher Tentative Agreement ratification packet, Duval Teachers United. Checked
- Teacher contracts page, Duval Teachers United. Checked
- Florida Statutes section 1012.22, as posted by the Florida Senate. Checked
- Rule 6A-4.0051, renewal of Florida educator certificates. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error