Short answer
How do Fort Wayne teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
By earning a content-area master's degree from an accredited college or university. The FWEA Master Contract 2025-27 has a bachelor's and a master's column; teachers who satisfy the education factor move to the master's column, and credit hours short of the degree do not count. Rows advance through the evaluation factor.
Source: FWEA Master Contract 2025-27, Article 6 and Appendix A. Checked .
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How is the Fort Wayne teacher salary schedule organized?
The FWEA Master Contract between the Board of School Trustees and the Fort Wayne Education Association runs from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027, with an option to reopen salaries by mutual agreement on or before June 30, 2026 (Article 8.D). The district posts it on its Human Resources page.
Appendix A has a Bachelors and a Masters column for 2025-27, with rows lettered from B to CC; the contract says no teacher will be placed on rows W or CC during 2025-26. Article 6.A lists the four factors from IC 20-28-9-1.5(b) the plan uses:
- Education: "The first year of possessing a content-area master's degree from an accredited college or university."
- Evaluation: the results of locally determined evaluation, which moves teachers one row.
- Academic needs: the transition to the new compensation schedule for staff retention.
- Instructional leadership: attaining a literacy endorsement, paid as an annual increase.
Teachers are paid in 26 equal installments, with dates listed in Article 6.B. New teachers with experience start at a salary the Superintendent or designee considers comparable to current staff with similar experience, within the salary range (Article 6.C). See how to read a salary schedule for the general layout.
Which units count toward a Fort Wayne column change?
Only a completed degree. Article 6.E of the contract says "Teachers on the bachelor's column who satisfy the education factor will advance to the master's column," and the education factor is the first year of holding a content-area master's from an accredited college or university. The contract defines a content area as "a subject or field of knowledge or expertise that appears on a license," covering instructional, school services and administrative areas under 511 IAC.
That matches the state rule. Indiana's IEERB guide to compensating teachers for graduate degrees and credit hours lets districts define the education factor more narrowly than the statute, and Fort Wayne's version counts the degree but not credit hours. A master's outside your licensed areas would not meet the contract's definition. Our article on a master's degree versus stacking credits covers the trade-off.
Coursework can still pay in one narrow case. Article 6.F gives a one-time stipend to teachers who teach, or are scheduled by FWCS to teach, a dual credit course, must complete additional coursework to begin or continue teaching it, had not completed that coursework before 2025-26, and are in the process of completing it before June 30, 2027. Teachers who continue teaching dual credit after finishing the coursework then receive a stipend at the end of each semester they teach it.
Does Fort Wayne require approval before you take a course?
The contract sets no pre-approval step for a master's degree; the test is whether the finished degree is from an accredited college or university and in a content area on your license. For a dual credit stipend, the course must be coursework you are required to complete to teach a dual credit course FWCS has scheduled you for. Ask Human Resources in writing before you start if your degree's content area is unclear. Our pre-approval forms article lists questions worth asking.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
The contract ties the column move to "the first year of possessing" the degree but does not print a transcript deadline. Article 6.A.b.iii puts the paperwork on the teacher: each teacher is responsible "for keeping licenses current and renewed when due," and a teacher whose license is not current at the start of a school year is placed on substitute-teacher pay from the first teacher work day, with no retroactive pay for the lapse. Ask Human Resources when to file a transcript for a new degree. See transcript deadlines for why the date matters.
Do units count toward Indiana license renewal?
Yes, and in Fort Wayne the contract makes renewal a pay issue too, because a lapsed license means substitute pay. Indiana renews a 5- or 10-year license with a 90-point PGP or, under IDOE's renewal page, six hours of college coursework from a regionally accredited institution, earned after the license was issued; IDOE's experience documentation chart values a college credit hour at 15 points, and the PGP page explains supervisor verification. The Indiana renewal section of our Indiana guide has the details.
Where can Fort Wayne teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Fort Wayne 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 Fort Wayne's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Fort Wayne's 2025-27 contract pays for one education change: "The first year of possessing a content-area master's degree from an accredited college or university" (see units that count). Credit hours short of that degree do not move a teacher to the master's column. Units can still count toward the 90 PGP points or six semester hours for Indiana renewal; see the renewal section.
| Question | What Fort Wayne says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Fort Wayne: Content-area master's only; no credit-hour column | 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 | Fort Wayne: Not stated in the contract; ask HR | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Fort Wayne: None in the contract; ask HR about content area | 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)
- 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 Fort Wayne has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Fort Wayne salary questions teachers ask
Do graduate-level credit hours raise pay at Fort Wayne Community Schools?
Not on their own. The 2025-27 contract moves teachers to the master's column only for a content-area master's degree. Coursework required to teach a dual credit course can earn a separate stipend under Article 6.F.
What counts as a content-area master's in Fort Wayne?
A master's in a subject or field that appears on your Indiana license, including instructional, school services and administrative areas under 511 IAC, from an accredited college or university.
How do Fort Wayne teachers move down the rows?
Teachers who satisfy the evaluation factor advance one row each year of the contract.
What happens if my license lapses?
The contract places you on substitute-teacher pay from the first teacher work day until the license is renewed, with no retroactive pay for that time.
Where can Fort Wayne teachers take graduate-level courses for license renewal?
Fort Wayne 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, 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
- FWEA Master Contract, July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027, Fort Wayne Community Schools and the Fort Wayne Education Association. Checked
- Human Resources, Fort Wayne Community Schools. Checked
- 2026 guide to compensating teachers for graduate degrees and credit hours, Indiana Education Employment Relations Board. Checked
- Professional Growth Plans (PGPs), Indiana Department of Education. Checked
- Current Indiana educator: renew a license, Indiana Department of Education. Checked
- Professional growth experience documentation (updated April 6, 2020), Indiana Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error