Short answer
How do Nampa teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Nampa's 2026–27 matrix has three education columns: a base column tied to the state career ladder, BA+24 and Masters, with rows from R1 to AP5. Credits are semester credits earned after the bachelor's and certification, on file with the State Department of Education, with official transcripts in HR before September 1.
Source: NSD–NEA 2026–2027 Master Contract, Sections 1.2 and 1.4. Checked .
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How is the Nampa teacher salary schedule organized?
Section 1.2 of the contract holds the Certificated Instructional and Non-Instructional Salary Schedule, which the district also posts as the 2026–27 Certified Salary Schedule. It has two parts.
The career ladder matrix. Rows match Idaho's three compensation rungs: R1 to R3 (Residency), P1 to P5 (Professional) and AP1 to AP5 (Advanced Professional). The first column has no degree label; under Section 1.2.1 it mirrors the state career ladder cells so that state-generated pay is maximized. The other two columns, BA+24 and Masters, start at P1. A teacher on the Residency rows is paid only in the first column, whatever education they hold.
The legacy table. Rows 10 to 13 carry what remains of Nampa's earlier schedule, in four paired columns: MA or BA+36, MA+12 or BA+48, MA+24 or BA+60, and MA+36 or ES/DR. The contract says a teacher in those rows moves to the P or AP rows in collaboration with Human Resources once the move becomes financially beneficial, and that 2026–27 contracts are issued at whichever placement pays the teacher more. A teacher on the legacy table who would gain nothing from either kind of move receives a one-time stipend instead.
The work year is 168 days, including 150 student contact days of eight and a half hours, a calendar built around a four-day student week. School psychologists, therapists and speech-language pathologists have their own 178-day schedule with MA to PHD columns. Our guide to reading a salary schedule explains rung-based grids, and salary lane names decodes labels like BA+24 and ES/DR.
Which units count toward a Nampa column change?
Section 1.4 sets the unit rules, and several of them reach back to state law:
- Semester credits. Section 1.4.1 says the numbers next to each degree, such as the 24 in BA+24, are semester credits.
- After the degree and the certificate. Credits must be earned after the bachelor's degree was conferred and after teacher certification.
- Accepted by the state. Credits and degrees must be accepted by the State Department of Education for certification, be in a relevant pedagogy or content area, and be transcripted and on file with the department's teacher certification office.
- Accredited source. The credits must come from an institution accredited by a body the State Board of Education recognizes, or from an internship or work experience the State Board has approved.
- No in-district credit. Since August 19, 1998, Nampa has not accepted in-district credits for column movement or salary placement.
That last rule matters because many districts still let their own workshops count toward a lane. In Nampa, a credit only counts if it appears on a college transcript the state accepts. Our units that count article lists the questions to ask about a course before paying for it.
Does Nampa require approval before you take a course?
The Master Contract has no district pre-approval step for credits used toward the BA+24 or Masters column. The test is applied afterward and partly by the state: whether the State Department of Education accepts the credits for certification and holds them on file. A teacher who wants certainty about a course can ask the Human Resources office before enrolling; our will my district accept it article has a short script for that request.
Approval does appear elsewhere. Section 3.4.1 limits professional development leave to activities approved by the district or the building administration. And movement down the rungs depends on the career ladder criteria in Sections 1.2.4 to 1.2.9. Moving from R3 to P1 requires a Professional Endorsement, earned when two of the last three years (or the third year alone) show an overall proficient rating, a completed Individual Professional Learning Plan, at least half of students plus one meeting the state growth goal, and no unsatisfactory components. Moving from P5 into the AP rows requires the Advanced Professional Endorsement, with eight years of experience (five on the Professional rung), a Distinguished rating in Domain 2 or 3, 75% of students meeting the growth goal and three years of leadership in the last five.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Section 1.4.3 gives one date. Credits earned before September 1, 2026 must be documented with an official transcript from an accredited college or university, submitted to the Human Resources office before September 1, 2026, "to achieve all moves on the salary schedule for the 2026-2027 school year."
The contract sets no midyear window. A teacher on P2 who completes the 24th semester credit in July and has the transcript in HR by late August is placed in the BA+24 column for the full 2026–27 year. Credits documented after that date are not covered by the 2026–27 rule. Our transcript deadlines article explains how to ask a college for an early official transcript.
Teachers holding National Board certification face the same date: documentation is due to Human Resources by September 1 each year to receive the National Board stipend, which runs five years from the year of certification.
Do the same units count toward Idaho license renewal?
Mostly, yes, because Nampa's column test is built on the state's own certification records. Idaho renews certificates with six semester credits per five-year validity period, at least three of them college coursework on a transcript. Renewal also allows up to three credits from in-service at 15 hours each, which Nampa will not take for its columns.
The renewal section of the Idaho guide has the full state rules, and the main Idaho page explains how the career ladder rungs used in Nampa's matrix are set statewide.
Where can Nampa teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Nampa 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 Nampa's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What Nampa says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Nampa: Semester credits on file with the state; no in-district credit | 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 | Nampa: Before September 1 | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Nampa: No district step for credits | 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)
- Dominican CA Online: self-paced, units through Dominican University of California; $477 for 3 credits (price notes)
- For Teachers By Teachers: self-paced, units through CSU Pueblo or UMass Global; $285 CSU Pueblo for 3 credits (price notes)
- Fresno Pacific University CE: self-paced, up to 1 year, units through Fresno Pacific University; ≈$475 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Graduate Credit Courses: self-paced, units through Cal Poly Humboldt; $570 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 Nampa has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Nampa salary questions teachers ask
When are Nampa transcripts due for a column change?
Before September 1. For 2026–27, official transcripts had to reach the Human Resources office before September 1, 2026.
Does Nampa accept district in-service credit for salary movement?
No. The contract has not accepted in-district credits for column movement or placement since August 19, 1998.
Are Nampa's BA+24 credits semester or quarter credits?
Semester credits. Section 1.4.1 says the numbers beside each degree refer to semester credits.
What are rows 10 to 13 on the Nampa salary schedule?
They are the remaining cells of Nampa's previous schedule. Teachers there move to the P or AP rows with Human Resources once that pays more.
Where can Nampa teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Nampa 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, Dominican CA Online, For Teachers By Teachers, Fresno Pacific University CE and Graduate Credit Courses. 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 Master Contract, Nampa School District and Nampa Education Association, Nampa School District. Checked
- 2026–27 Certified Salary Schedule, Nampa School District. Checked
- Salary Schedules, Nampa School District. Checked
- Renewal of an Idaho certificate, Idaho State Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error