Short answer
How do Portland teachers move to a higher lane on the salary schedule?
Portland teachers earn approved salary contact hours (SCH). One university or college credit equals 15 SCH and one CEU equals 10. Lanes 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 take 180 SCH and three years; lanes 3 to 4 and 4 to 5 take 225 SCH and four years. Lane changes happen only on September 1, with proposals due the October 1 before and documentation by January 10.
Source: PEA contract, September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2028, Article 12 and Appendix B, Portland Public Schools. Checked .
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How is the Portland teacher salary schedule organized?
The contract between Portland Public Schools and the PEA runs from September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2028 and is posted on the district's collective bargaining agreements page. Article 12 explains the design: the PLBSS "recognizes professional learning which promotes significant contributions to student learning and educator practice." The salary scales themselves are in Appendix A, with five lanes and steps for years of service.
To move a step, an educator must work "at least one (1) day more than the one half (1/2) of the annual educator work year" (Article 12.C); Article 10 sets the work year at no more than 183 days. New hires are first placed on a "shadow" Experience Based Salary Schedule with four degree lanes and 31 steps, and that salary is then matched to a lane and step on the PLBSS (Appendix B).
A lane change is not a straight sideways move. Appendix B says to take the step you would have reached, move one lane right, and find "the identical or next highest salary in your new Lane." The step number in the new lane is often lower. Our guide to reading a salary schedule shows how to trace a cell.
Which units count toward a Portland lane change?
Article 12.D.1 lists four ways to earn SCH: university or college credits at 15 SCH per credit, CEUs at 10 SCH per unit, PPS and PEA designed and approved contact hours, and individually proposed and approved contact hours. It adds: "Eligible university/college credits and CEUs are those that are related to student learning and educator practice." Appendix B gives the arithmetic: "A typical college course earns 3.0 credits, which equals 45 SCH."
- Lane 1 to 2, and 2 to 3: 3 years and 180 SCH, or 12 college credits.
- Lane 3 to 4, and 4 to 5: 4 years and 225 SCH, or 15 college credits.
- Per proposal: at most 60 SCH, except National Board certification (225), PPS and PEA courses, and college courses (12.D.3).
- Area of need: every lane change also needs one 3-credit university or college course, or a PPS and PEA course, or other PPS-approved training, in one of these areas: English as a Second Language, poverty, adolescent literacy, early childhood education, special education, race/bias/equity, technology, project-based learning or trauma-informed approach. It must be within five years of the lane change and earns SCH only if proposed (12.D.5.c).
Appendix B also lists what is not eligible: SCH earned before employment, activities repeated more than twice per lane change, and learning done during paid time, although applying that learning in the classroom can be proposed. Hours accrue from your hire date forward (12.D.2). National Board certification earns 225 SCH; a component scored at 2.75 or higher earns 45 (Article 22.E).
Does Portland require approval before you take a course?
Yes, in practice. Under Article 12.D.4, proposals go to the Superintendent or designee, who refers them to the PLBSS Proposal Review Team of three educators appointed by the Association and two administrators. The team reviews "for rigor and applicability to student learning and educator practice," decides by consensus and refers its decision to the Superintendent or designee. A denied proposal can be revised and resubmitted, or appealed to a Proposal Appeal Panel; the Superintendent's decision is final.
Appendix B says every SCH request is submitted in Vector, through your district Google account. For a course, you give the course number and dates and answer how it will contribute "to the educator's skills, knowledge, and practice, as well as to students' learning." Proposals pending pre-approval show in Vector, and you upload a certificate or transcript as evidence when the course is done. Appendix B notes that proposals are often denied because the teacher did not state the goals or the evidence to be provided. Our pre-approval forms article covers what to keep.
Tuition reimbursement is separate. Article 22.C reimburses a continuing contract educator who earns a B or better in up to one course a year, a maximum of four credit hours, "in courses expressly approved in advance by the Superintendent," up to the University of Southern Maine graduate tuition rate. At Lane 5 the allowance becomes two courses, eight credits. Probationary educators may be reimbursed for one 3-credit course in an area of district need. Appendix B notes that Vector has a proposal form that includes reimbursement.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new lane take effect?
Article 12.D.4.d is strict: "Lane changes may be made only on September 1st of each year." In the year before the change, you must submit proposals for any SCH you will use by October 1 and document all of them by January 10. "There will be no retroactive lane changes or salary adjustments for any educator."
So a teacher aiming for a lane change on September 1, 2027 must have proposals in by October 1, 2026 and transcripts or certificates uploaded by January 10, 2027. A course finished in the spring of 2027 is too late for that change and counts toward the next one. Appendix B adds that HR emails a Lane Change Checklist each September for teachers who intend to move. See transcript deadlines for timing a course around a cutoff.
Do the same units count toward Maine certificate renewal?
They can, through a separate review. Under Maine law, a professional teacher certificate is issued for five years and renews under state board rules that require, at a minimum, "at least 6 semester hours of professional or academic study or in-service training designed to improve the performance of the teacher in the field" (20-A M.R.S. §13013). A 3-credit course approved for SCH may also be submitted for renewal, but the PLBSS team and the renewal process review it separately.
The Maine renewal section has the state's rules, and renewal credit versus salary credit explains why the two decisions are separate.
Where can Portland teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Portland 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 Portland's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Before you enroll: Portland counts only university and college credits "that are related to student learning and educator practice," and its PLBSS Proposal Review Team reviews each proposal "for rigor and applicability to student learning and educator practice" (PEA contract 2025-2028, Article 12.D). Submit the course as a salary contact hour proposal in Vector, and wait for approval, before you rely on it for a lane change.
| Question | What Portland says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Portland: College credits related to student learning and educator practice; 15 SCH per credit; CEUs 10 SCH | 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 | Portland: Proposals October 1; documentation January 10; lane change on September 1 | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Portland: SCH proposal in Vector; reviewed by the PLBSS Proposal Review Team | 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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 Portland has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Portland salary questions teachers ask
How many college credits does a Portland lane change take?
At 15 SCH per credit, 180 SCH equals 12 credits for a move to Lane 2 or 3, and 225 SCH equals 15 credits for a move to Lane 4 or 5. Each move also needs three or four years and an area-of-need course.
When are Portland lane change deadlines?
Proposals by October 1 and documentation by January 10 in the school year before the change, which takes effect September 1. There are no retroactive lane changes.
Where do I submit a Portland SCH proposal?
In Vector, through your district Google account. Appendix B says every request for salary contact hours must be submitted there.
Does Portland reimburse tuition?
Yes, for a continuing contract educator who earns a B or better in one course a year of up to four credits, approved in advance by the Superintendent, up to the University of Southern Maine graduate rate. Lane 5 educators may take two courses.
Where can Portland teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Portland 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, CE Credits Online, Connected Classroom Courses, Credits for 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
- PEA contract, September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2028, including Article 12, Article 22 and Appendix B, Portland Public Schools and Portland Education Association. Checked
- Collective Bargaining Agreements, Portland Public Schools Human Resources. Checked
- Certification requirements, Maine Department of Education. Checked
- 20-A M.R.S. §13013, Professional teacher certificate, Maine Legislature. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error