Short answer
How do Forsyth teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Forsyth pays by four certificate tiers: T-4 Bachelor, T-5 Master, T-6 Specialist and T-7 Doctorate. A new tier follows a GaPSC upgrade, which FCS says to check with the GaPSC upgrade tool before enrolling. After the new certificate arrives, send it to HR for a salary adjustment. Course hours alone change nothing.
Source: Certification Information, Forsyth County Schools. Checked .
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How is the Forsyth teacher salary schedule organized?
The document is the "Teacher/Professionals Compensation Schedule" for 2026-2027, marked official upon adoption by the Forsyth County Board of Education. It gives each tier its own block rather than placing the tiers side by side. Every block has three rows: a step label, the matching years of experience, and a daily rate.
The step labels need a careful read. Years 0, 1 and 2 share the entry step E. Years 3 through 9 map to steps 1 through 7, and step 7 appears again at year 10. From year 11 the labels change to L1 through L5, each covering two years, and L6 covers year 21 through 28+. The daily rate still rises with each year of experience across those repeated labels, so read the years row, not the step label, to find your rate. The FCS Employee Handbook explains why: step placement "does not necessarily equal years of creditable service," though years of service are tracked for retirement and benefits.
Annual rates assume the full 190-day term in full-time status. Part-time rates are prorated, a teacher who starts after the term begins is paid for the workdays and pay cycles remaining, and days worked beyond the 190-day calendar are paid at the daily rate. For a primer on these grids, read how to read a salary schedule.
What moves a Forsyth teacher to a higher certificate level on the schedule?
The schedule's notes settle it: "Certification placement is determined by the highest valid certificate level issued by the State of Georgia and on file with Forsyth County Schools (FCS) Human Resources." Two conditions sit in that sentence. GaPSC must have issued the level, and HR must have it on file.
Georgia's upgrade rule, 505-2-.33, decides which degrees produce a level. Forsyth's certification page condenses it into two tests. The program must be in-field to your current certificate, or state-approved to add a new field. The institution must also hold specific national accreditation at the time you enroll. Meeting both is what lets a master's lead to T-5, a specialist degree to T-6 or a doctorate to T-7.
Loose graduate-level credit is not one of those routes. Forsyth has no credit-count columns, and the handbook gives final interpretation of salary placement to the Human Resources Department, applying state and district guidelines.
Does Forsyth require approval before you take a course?
Forsyth does not have a district pre-approval form, but its HR page sets a before-enrollment step: "Do not enroll in a degree program for an upgrade until you read the GaPSC enrollment letter." It then links GaPSC's upgrade utility with the instruction "Prior to enrolling, complete the steps in this link and save it to your MyPSC account." That saved record is the closest thing Forsyth has to pre-approval, and it comes from the state.
Once the degree is finished, the page lists the rest in order:
- Sign in to MyPSC and complete the Personal Affirmations tab.
- Open Submit Application/Check Status, answer all questions and save.
- Have the college send an official transcript showing the degree to GaPSC.
- Ask FCS Human Resources to submit an Employer Assurance Form, which the district says avoids the processing fee.
- Watch MyPSC for GaPSC's notice that the upgrade is complete.
- Send the new certificate to Human Resources "to process salary adjustment, if applicable."
Our pre-approval forms guide compares this kind of state-run check with district forms elsewhere.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Forsyth does not publish a filing deadline or an effective-date rule for upgrades. What its documents establish is sequence: the higher tier depends on a certificate that is both issued and on file with HR, and the last checklist step is sending that certificate in. Statewide, Rule 160-5-2-.05 links pay to the certificate's validity date within the contract year.
On timing, the certification FAQ says GaPSC processes a completed application package within a few weeks of receiving it. Experience credit has its own paperwork: an FCS Experience Verification Form must be completed by each former employer and reach Human Resources before credit is considered, and the employee is responsible for getting those forms returned.
Do the same units count toward Georgia license renewal?
Forsyth's FAQ notes that a Standard Professional certificate is valid for five years. Rule 505-2-.36 renews certificates for educators employed in Georgia through full participation in the district's professional learning, verified by a supervisor. The FCS Employee Handbook adds that a criminal record check is made on every certificate renewal application. Applications run from December 1 of the year before the certificate expires through June 30.
None of that moves your tier. Renewal vs. salary credit explains the split, and the Georgia renewal guide covers the state requirement.
Where can Forsyth teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Forsyth included, decides for itself whether a course counts for the purpose a teacher needs it for: license renewal, an added endorsement or a degree program. No provider, university or website can make that decision, so the rules above come first, and written approval from Forsyth's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Forsyth pays by completed degree, certificate level or rating rather than by units, so courses short of a degree do not change a Forsyth salary on their own (see units that count). Where graduate-level units still help is license renewal, explained in the renewal section, and any other purpose Forsyth or Georgia names in writing.
| Question | What Forsyth says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Forsyth: Certificate level only; highest valid level on file | 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 | Forsyth: Not published; send new certificate to HR | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Forsyth: GaPSC upgrade check; saved to MyPSC before enrolling | 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
For renewal, or for a future move to a district that pays for units, many providers issue graduate-level units through accredited universities. 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)
- 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)
- 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 Forsyth has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Forsyth salary questions teachers ask
What do the L1 to L6 steps mean on the Forsyth schedule?
They are the step labels Forsyth uses from year 11 onward. L1 to L5 each cover two years and L6 covers years 21 to 28+, but the daily rate still changes with each year of experience.
Should I check with Forsyth before starting a master's?
Yes. FCS asks teachers to read the GaPSC enrollment letter and complete GaPSC's upgrade steps, saved to MyPSC, before enrolling in a degree program for an upgrade.
How do I avoid the GaPSC processing fee on a Forsyth upgrade?
After completing your MyPSC application, ask FCS Human Resources to submit an Employer Assurance Form for you. Forsyth says this avoids the processing fee.
Is the Forsyth schedule based on 190 days?
Yes. Annual rates assume the full 190-day term in full-time status; extra workdays are paid at the daily rate.
Where can Forsyth teachers take graduate-level courses for license renewal?
Forsyth does not raise pay for units short of a degree, so check the renewal rules on this page and confirm with human resources or the state agency before you enroll. Providers that teachers compare include Teacher Friendly, Credits for Educators, Teaching Channel, TLC Graduate Credits, 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
- 2026-2027 Teacher/Professionals Compensation Schedule (Levels 4-7), Forsyth County Schools. Checked
- Certification Information, including Upgrade for Current Employees, Forsyth County Schools Human Resources. Checked
- Employee Handbook 2026-2027, Forsyth County Schools. Checked
- Salaries and Benefits, Forsyth County Schools. Checked
- PSC Rule 505-2-.33. Checked
- SBOE 160-5-2-.05. Checked
- PSC Rule 505-2-.36. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error