Billings Public Schools salary schedule: how teachers move to a higher lane

TeacherPayGuide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Billings Public Schools. This guide summarizes the district's published documents as read on November 12, 2026; 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 Billings teacher salary schedule organized?

The 2026-27 BEA salary matrix runs nine education lanes across the top (BA, BA30, BA60, BA90, BA105, MA, MA30, MA45 and PhD) and experience steps 0 to 15 down the side. Every cell is calculated from a single base salary at BA step 0, so a change to the base moves the whole matrix.

The 2026-2028 master labor agreement, which runs July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028, sets the terms in Article VII. For each of 2026-27 and 2027-28 it adds 1.5% to the base cell and an extra amount on every step 15 cell. A completed master's or doctorate from an NCATE-accredited institution also earns additional compensation over the scheduled wage; Appendix B prints the schedule both with and without those stipends.

Steps follow experience. A teacher moves one step a year if employed for more than 90 consecutive workdays in the previous school year. New hires can be credited with up to ten years of previous experience, at half credit for experience older than ten years, and no new hire is placed above a current teacher with the same district credit experience. Our guide to reading a salary schedule walks through a matrix like this one.

Which units count toward a Billings lane change?

Article VII, Section 3 allows lateral advancement "for college courses," and Section 4 sets the conditions:

• After the degree: "BA plus" or "MA plus" means acceptable work completed after the degree was received.
• License held: credits count only while the teacher holds a Class I, II, III or IV certificate. Credits required for the initial Class II certificate, and vocational credits required for the initial Class IV, do not count.
• No duplicates: duplicative coursework counts only with the Superintendent's prior written approval.
• Approval: a lateral move needs official transcripts and "verification of credits that have been approved by the Executive Director of Human Resource Service" (Section 8).

The agreement also opens two routes outside the university:

• Training: step-up credit is awarded for OPI-accredited training and may be awarded for PIR days, at one quarter credit per ten classroom hours with proof of attendance and no fractional credit (Section 4, Subd. 7).
• CEUs: after hire, ten hours of CEUs that can be used to maintain certification or licensure earn one quarter hour of credit; at hire, CEUs from the previous three years can count the same way if HR approves them (Section 5).

Non-university courses and workshops go through the Professional Development Academy Advisory Committee (PDAAC) in Appendix A. Its review covers lane-credit activities "excluding accredited university coursework." The committee audits submissions by September 30, and a teacher who submits coursework that fails its standards loses lane eligibility for one school year, then two for a second failure. The matrix itself does not say whether its lane totals are semester or quarter hours, so ask Human Resources how semester credit is counted. Our article on clock hours, CEUs and semester credits explains the conversions.

Does Billings require approval before you take a course?

For college credit, approval runs through Human Resources: Section 8 moves a teacher only when the Executive Director of Human Resources has approved the credits. For training and CEU credit, the agreement requires prior approval. The principal or director recommends it, the Superintendent approves it, and the teacher brings the sponsoring agency's course name, hours of instruction and dates. Duplicative coursework always needs the Superintendent's prior written approval.

The yearly notice is part of the approval process too. Each April, Human Resources sends teachers a form for a planned educational step-up, and a teacher who plans one must notify HR by February 1. Our article on pre-approval forms covers what to keep from each stage.

When are transcripts due, and when does the new lane take effect?

Article VII, Section 8, Subd. 5 sets the calendar:

• February 1: notify Human Resources that you plan to take step-up credit.
• About May 15: HR contacts teachers who gave notice; confirm your intent by August 1.
• September 1: credits must be earned and verified by this date for the new lane at the opening of school. Verification is the official transcript.
• November 1: if the college cannot issue a transcript by September 1 after you have asked for one, grade slips are accepted, but the official transcript must follow by November 1.

Section 8 also limits certified staff to "up to one lane change per year." A completed master's or PhD is placed on the matching lane. Our transcript deadlines article has tips for ordering transcripts early.

Do the same units count toward Montana license renewal?

Montana renews most educator licenses every five years with 60 professional development units, or a mix of units and college credit at 15 units per semester credit and 10 per quarter credit. A course that moves a Billings lane can usually serve renewal too, but the two tests are separate. The Montana renewal section has the full rules, and the Montana state guide compares Billings with Great Falls.

Where can Billings teachers earn graduate-level units?

Every district, Billings 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 Billings's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.

Before you enroll: Section 8 of the 2026-2028 master labor agreement moves a teacher laterally only with "verification of credits that have been approved by the Executive Director of Human Resource Service," and Article VII, Section 4 accepts no credits for duplicative coursework without the Superintendent's prior written approval. The units below are non-degree, so ask Human Resources in writing whether a course will count before you enroll, and send your February 1 notice of intent.

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 Billings has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.

Sources

1. Master Labor Agreement between Billings Public Schools and the Billings Education Association, July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028, including Article VII and Appendices A and B. Checked November 12, 2026
2. BEA Salary Matrix 2026-27, Billings Public Schools. Checked November 12, 2026
3. Labor information, Billings Public Schools. Checked November 12, 2026
4. Renew, update or advance a license, Montana Office of Public Instruction. Checked November 12, 2026

Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error