Short answer
How do Wichita teachers move to a higher track on the salary schedule?
Wichita has twelve tracks: BA, three intermediate tracks at 10, 20 and 30 graduate hours beyond the BA, MA, three more beyond the MA, three Ed.S. or MA+40-and-up tracks, and an earned doctorate. Graduate semester hours not used for a degree move a teacher across. Placement is set each year by what the teacher proves on or before September 10, with official transcripts sent to the Human Resources Licensure Office.
Source: BOE/UTW Teacher Agreement 2026-2027, Article V, and Licenses and Renewals, Wichita Public Schools. Checked .
TeacherPayGuide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wichita Public Schools (USD 259). 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 Wichita teacher salary schedule organized?
The agreement runs from August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027, and its Article V, Section B points to a separate Teacher Salary Schedule. That schedule has twelve tracks across the top:
- BA, then BA+10, BA+20 and BA+30 graduate hours
- MA, then MA+10, MA+20 and MA+30 graduate hours
- Ed.Sp. or MA+40, Ed.Sp.+10 or MA+50 and Ed.Sp.+20 or MA+60
- Earned Doctorate
Steps run down the side, and an "Initial Placement" column tells new hires which step matches their years of experience. Article III, Section A sets a base contract of 190 days for 2026-2027. Under Article V, Section A, Paragraph 3(b), a teacher moves one step for each full year under contract, meaning 170 or more base contract days, and never more than one step a year. A teacher who finishes a year on a Plan of Assistance and stays on it does not advance a step until the plan is completed. Our guide to reading a salary schedule explains how to find your own cell.
Which units count toward a Wichita track change?
Article V, Section A, Paragraph 4(a) defines a track. Each one "represents an earned degree from an accredited institution of higher learning or additional earned graduate credit semester hours not already counted in an earned degree." The same paragraph sets the conditions:
- Salary credit goes only to graduate degrees and hours "as recognized and supervised by the graduate school of an accredited institution."
- The institution must have been accredited when the hours were earned, by an agency the Human Resources Division approves.
- An intermediate track needs the number of graduate semester hours it names, or the equivalent in quarter or third hours.
- Hours may be earned before your latest degree, but not if they were used to meet that degree's requirements.
Two special cases appear in Paragraph 4. A master's degree that required at least 60 graduate semester hours in the teacher's assigned area places the teacher on the MA+30 track (4(h)). School social workers need graduate work approved by their supervisor and the Human Resources Division before it counts toward a higher track (4(d)). Undergraduate hours do not appear anywhere in the track definitions. For the difference between stacking hours and finishing a degree, see master's degrees versus credits.
Worked example without dollars: a teacher on the MA track with 10 graduate semester hours earned after the master's moves to MA+10. With 20 such hours, the move is to MA+20. If the hours are quarter hours, the agreement counts their semester equivalent, so 15 quarter hours equal 10 semester hours (see quarter versus semester units).
Does Wichita require approval before you take a course?
The teacher agreement does not set a pre-approval step for classroom teachers. It does give the decision to the district: Paragraph 2 of Article V, Section A says "the final judgment concerning the placement of any teacher on the salary schedule shall be determined by the Human Resources Division." That makes the graduate-school and accreditation wording above the test HR applies when a transcript arrives.
Since no form approves a course in advance, the practical step is to ask. The district's Licenses and Renewals page names an on-site Licensure Specialist who handles transcript recording. Send the course description and the transcript that will be issued, and keep the reply. Our pre-approval forms article lists what to ask for in writing.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new track take effect?
Placement is set once a year. Article V, Section A, Paragraph 3(a) says salary placements are adjusted "for each contract year to the level for which the teacher proves their entitlement on or before September 10 of each year." The Licenses and Renewals page puts it in practical terms: "only official transcripts can be accepted and are due each year by September 10th in order to be considered for salary purposes." All documents are due before September 10 of the current school year or your first duty day, whichever is later.
Paper transcripts go to the Human Resources Licensure Office. Electronic transcripts "must be sent directly from the university to the Licensure Specialist." A course that finishes in late summer therefore needs its grade posted and transcript sent in time to arrive by September 10. Hours that miss the date wait for the next contract year. Our page on transcript deadlines covers how to time this.
Do the same units count toward Kansas license renewal?
Renewal runs through a separate system. Article XV, Section C, Paragraph 3 of the agreement makes the district's Professional Development Council responsible for awarding inservice points under state rules. The Licenses and Renewals page lays out the routes for Wichita staff: a teacher with a master's degree may renew with 120 professional development points every five years, while a teacher with a bachelor's needs 160 points, including at least four college credit hours (80 points) recorded in the district's professional learning system as a college credit request.
Graduate hours used for a track change can also be submitted for renewal, but they are two separate submissions: the transcript to the Licensure Specialist for salary, and the college credit request for the renewal record. The Kansas renewal section has the state's rules, and renewal credit versus salary credit explains why one course can serve both purposes only when each office accepts it.
Where can Wichita teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Wichita 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 Wichita's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Before you enroll: The Wichita agreement gives salary credit only for "graduate degrees and/or graduate hours as recognized and supervised by the graduate school of an accredited institution" (2026-2027 Teacher Agreement, Article V, Section A, Paragraph 4(a)), and the Human Resources Division makes the final placement judgment. Units from the providers below are non-degree, so ask the Human Resources Licensure Office in writing whether a specific course will count toward a track before you enroll.
| Question | What Wichita says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Wichita: Graduate semester hours not used for a degree; from an accredited institution's graduate school | 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 | Wichita: September 10; or first duty day, if later | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Wichita: None in the agreement; HR makes the final placement judgment | 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)
- Credits for Teachers: self-paced, 6 months, units through Valley City State, Adams State, UMass Global or CSU Pueblo; from $349 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)
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 Wichita has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Wichita salary questions teachers ask
How many graduate hours does a Wichita track change take?
Ten. The intermediate tracks are BA+10, BA+20, BA+30, MA+10, MA+20 and MA+30, then Ed.Sp. or MA+40, MA+50 and MA+60, under the 2026-2027 agreement.
When must Wichita transcripts arrive?
On or before September 10, or your first duty day if that is later. Only official transcripts are accepted, and electronic ones must come directly from the university.
Do undergraduate credits move a Wichita teacher across?
No. Article V, Section A, Paragraph 4(a) counts earned degrees and graduate semester hours not already counted in a degree.
Who decides whether my hours count?
The Human Resources Division makes the final judgment on placement. Ask the Licensure Office in writing before you enroll if you are unsure about a course.
Where can Wichita teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Wichita 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, Credits for Teachers, Dominican CA Online, For Teachers By Teachers and Fresno Pacific University CE. 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
- Teacher Agreement between the Board of Education of USD 259 and United Teachers of Wichita, August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027, listed on the district's Employee Agreements page. Checked
- Teacher Salary Schedule, 2026-2027, Wichita Public Schools. Checked
- Licenses and Renewals, Wichita Public Schools Human Resources. Checked
- License information and applications, Kansas State Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error