Short answer
How do Beaverton teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Beaverton has two columns, Bachelor's and Master's, each with 18 steps. Plus-credit columns do not exist, so the only column change for a teacher is a completed master's degree. Finish it before September 1 and prove it to HR by October 1 for pay from the first working day; February 1 and March 1 form a second window.
Source: BSD–BEA Certified Collective Bargaining Agreement 2024–2027, Article 17.B.4 and Appendix A. Checked .
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How is the Beaverton teacher salary schedule organized?
Appendix A of the agreement prints a salary schedule for each of 2024–25, 2025–26 and 2026–27. Every one has the same shape: a Bachelor's Degree column and a Master's Degree column, side by side, with 18 steps in each. The district codes the cells by column and step, so CERT/01/06 is Bachelor's step 6 and CERT/02/06 is Master's step 6.
Pay rises each year through cost-of-living increases written into Article 17.B: 5% for 2024–25, 4.75% for 2025–26 and 5% for 2026–27. The schedule is built on a 194-day work year. A teacher moves down one step after working at least 135 days in a year, half-time or more, and the new step applies the following school year.
New hires get one step for each year of completed teaching, up to 18, so a teacher entering a sixth year starts on step 6. Since 2022–23 nobody has been placed on step 1. Beaverton's human resources page also links a separate licensed salary schedule; the pay figures for each cell are in Appendix A. If the cell codes are unfamiliar, our guide to reading a salary schedule walks through a grid step by step.
Which units count toward a Beaverton column change?
For classroom teachers, none on their own. With no BA+15 or BA+45 columns, graduate-level credit earned outside a degree does not change a Beaverton teacher's column. What moves a teacher from CERT/01 to CERT/02 is a finished master's degree, documented to the Human Resources Department.
That makes Beaverton a clear case for the question our article on master's degrees versus loose credits addresses. Coursework still has value here, through tuition reimbursement, license renewal and, for some teachers, as part of a degree program, but a stack of unrelated credits will not raise the base salary.
One group is treated differently. Article 17.K moves nurses to the master's schedule once they earn 60 credit hours beyond the bachelor's that are relevant to their field and approved by Human Resources.
Does Beaverton require approval before you take a course?
For the column change itself, the agreement asks only for proof of the completed degree. For tuition reimbursement, approval comes first and it has two stages. Under Article 16.A.2, a course must be approved by the principal and then sent by the teacher to the Human Resources Department for final approval, all before registration.
The reimbursement benefit is generous in hours and specific in scope:
- How much: up to 12 quarter hours of college credit per three-year cycle for regular full-time staff. Full-time temporary staff earn four quarter hours for each contract year of 135 days or more. Part-time staff are prorated.
- Semester schools: three quarter hours equal two semester hours, so the 12-quarter-hour cap equals eight semester hours.
- What qualifies: coursework in an advanced degree or certification program the teacher is enrolled in; college credit courses directly related to the assignment, audits included; or workshop and conference registration related to the assignment, capped at the cost of three Portland State credits (twelve for staff such as speech-language pathologists whose licensure needs are not met by district training).
- Rate: actual tuition at the accredited college attended, minus any outside grant or aid.
- Language study: after the main allowance is used, up to six more quarter hours per three-year cycle for college-level or pre-approved courses in languages other than English.
Travel, private coursework and curriculum development are excluded unless a degree program or the evaluation process requires them. Our article on pre-approval forms covers what to keep from each approval stage.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Article 17.B.4, titled "Master's Degree Change Deadline," gives two windows:
- Fall: master's completed before September 1, proof to Human Resources by October 1. The teacher is placed on the Master's column retroactive to the first working day of the school year. A teacher whose paperwork is delayed can contact HR before October 1 to explain the delay.
- Winter: master's completed before February 1, proof by March 1. The move is retroactive to February 1.
So a teacher who finishes a degree in August and files the diploma or final transcript in September is paid on the master's column for the full year. One who finishes in December and files in February picks up the higher rate from February 1. Tuition reimbursement runs on a different calendar: the reimbursement year is September 1 to August 31, and the application, receipt and proof of completion are due in Human Resources before the following December 1. Our transcript deadlines article has tips for getting degree posting dates in writing.
Do the same units count toward Oregon license renewal?
The agreement itself points teachers to TSPC. Article 17.J says teachers either keep an individual professional growth plan or follow the district plan, and must document their own professional development units, with one clock hour equal to one PDU, a quarter hour to 20 and a semester hour to 30. Record-keeping forms are on the district website.
Right now TSPC is not collecting those units from licenses that expire before July 1, 2029. For later expirations the requirement returns: 75 PDUs at the Preliminary level, 125 at the Professional level. For Beaverton teachers this is where stand-alone credits matter most, since they count toward renewal even though they do not move a pay column. The Oregon renewal section has the full rules, and the Oregon state guide compares other districts' columns.
Where can Beaverton teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Beaverton 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 Beaverton's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Beaverton pays by completed degree, certificate level or rating rather than by units, so courses short of a degree do not change a Beaverton salary on their own (see units that count). Where graduate-level units still help is license renewal, explained in the renewal section, and any other purpose Beaverton or Oregon names in writing.
| Question | What Beaverton says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Beaverton: A completed master's degree; nurses: 60 approved credit hours | 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 | Beaverton: October 1 or March 1 | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Beaverton: Principal, then HR, before registering; for tuition reimbursement | 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)
- 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)
- 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)
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 Beaverton has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Beaverton salary questions teachers ask
Does Beaverton pay more for credits beyond a bachelor's degree?
Not through the salary schedule. The 2024–2027 schedule has only Bachelor's and Master's columns, so a teacher changes columns by finishing a master's degree. Nurses are the exception, moving to the master's schedule with 60 approved credit hours.
When is the Beaverton master's degree deadline?
October 1 for a degree finished before September 1, which pays from the first working day. March 1 for a degree finished before February 1, which pays from February 1.
Does Beaverton reimburse tuition, and do I need approval?
Yes. Full-time staff can be reimbursed for up to 12 quarter hours every three years. The course needs your principal's approval and then Human Resources' final approval before you register.
How does Beaverton count semester hours?
For tuition reimbursement, three quarter hours equal two semester hours, so the 12-quarter-hour allowance equals eight semester hours.
Where can Beaverton teachers take graduate-level courses for license renewal?
Beaverton 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, Connected Classroom Courses, Credits for Teachers, Dominican CA Online and For Teachers By Teachers. 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
- Certified Collective Bargaining Agreement (BEA), 2024–2027, including Appendix A salary schedules, Beaverton School District. Checked
- Human Resources, Beaverton School District. Checked
- Renewal information, Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error