Short answer
How do Pinellas teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
The Continuing schedule has five levels: Bachelor's, Bachelor's plus 15, Master's, Specialist and Doctorate. Only teachers hired before July 1, 2011 and paid on Level 1 can move to Level 2 through the PC+15 increment of 15 semester or 22 quarter hours. Later hires receive a supplement for a degree in their certification area, not retroactive.
Source: Instructional Continuing Salary Schedule 2026/2027, Pinellas County Schools. Checked .
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How is the Pinellas teacher salary schedule organized?
The School Board approved the 2026/2027 instructional schedules on September 22, 2026, and Article 27 of the 2025-2028 agreement with the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association was updated on October 13, 2026. Article 49 of that agreement establishes Grandfathered and Performance salary schedules under section 1012.22, negotiated each year. Section C adds that any oral or written promise by a Board employee, administrators included, that conflicts with the adopted schedules has no effect, so a principal's assurance about pay is not binding.
Two documents carry the numbers:
- Instructional Continuing Salary Schedule, for staff on a Professional Service Contract or Continuing Contract. Years of service run down the rows; Levels 1 through 5 run across: Bachelor's, Bachelor's plus 15, Master's, Specialist and Doctorate.
- Instructional Placement Schedule, for instructional staff hired during 2026-27. It places new hires on a single Bachelor's column by placement level, from 0 through 30-plus, and lists Advanced Degree Supplements beside it.
Both figures are for the 198-day teacher contract and include a voter-approved referendum supplement that the Finance Division recertifies each year. The schedules note that a teacher's base rate excludes the referendum portion. The guide to salary lane names explains how "plus 15" columns compare with lanes elsewhere.
Do graduate-level courses raise pay at Pinellas?
For most teachers, only as part of a finished degree. The exception is PC+15, the increment once called B+15. District Form 3-228 sets the rules for coursework "that contribute to teacher effectiveness," and Form 3-224 covers the same increment earned on a master's degree planned program. Both 2025-2026 editions say:
- only teachers hired before July 1, 2011 and paid on Level 1 qualify;
- the 15 semester hours (at least 22 quarter hours) have to be earned at a regionally accredited college or university;
- hours must be earned after the Professional certificate took effect (or after a Temporary certificate once all Professional coursework is done), and after January 1, 2008 but before September 1, 2025;
- no credit for trips, directing intern teachers, inservice component points or CLEP-type credit for courses not taken.
Form 3-228 adds that courses should normally fall in a certified subject and go beyond the minimum hours for that certification, or be relevant to a new subject the teacher is pursuing. Teachers moving from another state's standard certificate get a case-by-case review.
The degree supplement follows different rules. The district's Advanced Degree page says the degree must be finished in full, the major must fit district eligibility guidelines, and supporting coursework is always reviewed. Majors should relate to the teacher's subject area or education; Liberal Arts, Juris Doctor and Theology degrees are not eligible. Teachers hired before 2011 have degrees honored regardless of subject, but a break in service brings the current state rules into play on return. Units that count covers how districts screen course level and subject.
Does Pinellas require approval before you take a course?
Not formally, but both routes offer an early read. For PC+15, Form 3-228 lets applicants "prefile a plan of projected courses" with Human Resources so they know early which courses will count. For a degree, the Advanced Degree page invites employees to ask the Certification office to verify that an intended major will be accepted. Neither is a guarantee, so keep the reply with your records; pre-approval forms explains why.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
PC+15: the 2025-2026 forms required the application in Human Resources by October 31, 2025, or within 30 days of starting for teachers hired after October 1. Transcripts should accompany the application or follow as soon as possible, mailed to HR/Certification/PC+15, P.O. Box 2942, Largo. The increment was paid in November 2025, retroactive to the first day of school if the coursework was complete by then.
Advanced degree supplement: new hires present the degree during hiring. Current employees file the Advanced Degree Supplement Request Form, and nothing is processed until transcripts arrive, either sealed by mail to Human Resources, Attn: Certification, P.O. Box 2942, Largo, or electronically from the institution. The supplement is entered on the date acceptance is determined, for the current fiscal year, and "is not retroactive." That makes speed worth more here than in most districts; see transcript deadlines.
Do the same units count toward Florida license renewal?
Pinellas's certification office lists several routes to the 120 component points a certificate needs in each validity period: six semester hours of college credit, inservice points (60 points equal three college credits), a passing Florida Subject Area Test score in a subject already on the certificate (worth 60 points), a valid National Board certificate, or teaching college-level courses. Within the 120, every teacher needs 20 ESE points. Holders of listed reading-related subjects, such as Elementary Education K-6, English 6-12 or ESOL K-12, also need 40 points in evidence-based reading. Since July 1, 2025, anyone with Educational Leadership or School Principal on the certificate must include 20 inservice points within the 120. Points sit in each teacher's Professional Learning Network credit bank, and the district asks teachers to check that a course is on its accepted list before enrolling. More in the Florida renewal rules and the Florida guide.
Where can Pinellas teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Pinellas 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 Pinellas's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
At Pinellas, units count toward pay only for some teachers or through a separate award, as units that count explains, so confirm with human resources that the rule applies to you before you enroll. Units can also count toward license renewal; see the renewal section.
| Question | What Pinellas says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Pinellas: 15 semester or 22 quarter hours; PC+15, pre-2011 hires only | 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 | Pinellas: October 31 for PC+15; 2025-26 form | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Pinellas: Optional; prefile a course plan or ask about a major | 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)
- Model Teaching: self-paced, 1 year, units through a choice of six universities, including University of the Pacific; $359 for 3 credits (price notes)
- PD Courses (University of La Verne): online or pdf, semester-based, units through University of La Verne; $420 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Teaching Channel: self-paced, units through a choice of eight universities; $489 for 3 credits (price notes)
- TLC Graduate Credits: self-paced, units through CSU Pueblo; $425 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 Pinellas has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Pinellas salary questions teachers ask
Can I get Bachelor's plus 15 if I was hired in 2014?
No. Forms 3-228 and 3-224 limit PC+15 to teachers hired before July 1, 2011 who are paid on Level 1.
Is the Pinellas advanced degree supplement retroactive?
No. It starts on the date the district determines acceptance, for the current fiscal year.
Does Pinellas pay a supplement for a law degree?
No. The Advanced Degree page lists Liberal Arts, Juris Doctor and Theology as ineligible majors.
How many inservice points equal a college course in Pinellas?
Sixty inservice points equal three college credits toward the 120 component points needed for renewal.
Where can Pinellas teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Pinellas 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, Model Teaching, PD Courses (University of La Verne), Teaching Channel and TLC Graduate Credits. 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
- Instructional Continuing Salary Schedule 2026/2027, Pinellas County Schools. Checked
- Instructional Placement Schedule 2026/2027, Pinellas County Schools. Checked
- Salary schedules, Pinellas County Schools. Checked
- PCTA Collective Bargaining Agreement 2025-2028, Article 27 update approved 10/13/26, Pinellas County Schools. Checked
- PCS Form 3-228, PC+15 salary increment (Rev. 7/25), Pinellas County Schools. Checked
- PCS Form 3-224, PC+15 on a master's planned program, Pinellas County Schools. Checked
- Advanced Degree, Pinellas County Schools Human Resources. Checked
- Renewal Requirements / Continuing Education Points, Pinellas County Schools. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error