Short answer
How do Hillsboro teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Hillsboro's schedule has six columns, from Column I (BA) to Column VI (BA+120 or MA+45), and only graduate hours earned after the initial teaching license count. Submit proof by October 1 and the higher column pays for the whole contract year; submit it by March 1 and it pays for the second half.
Source: HSD–HEA Licensed Professional Agreement 2024–2027, Article 15.E and Appendix A. Checked .
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How is the Hillsboro teacher salary schedule organized?
The district posts the 2026–27 licensed salary schedule on a 191-day basis, and the same grid appears as Appendix A.3 of the contract. Columns carry Roman numerals with the training level printed above each one:
- Column I: BA
- Column II: BA+24
- Column III: BA+45
- Column IV: BA+60 or MA
- Column V: BA+90 or MA+24
- Column VI: BA+120 or MA+45
The paired headings mean a master's degree lands a teacher in Column IV even without 60 hours past the bachelor's, and a teacher without a master's can still reach the top column with 120 hours. A footnote under the grid sets the rule that matters most for coursework: "Graduate hours recognized after initial teaching license obtained." Hours finished before licensure do not move a Hillsboro teacher.
Steps are lettered. Columns I and II stop at Step K. Column III continues through Step N, and Columns IV to VI reach Step O. That shape makes the first two columns a ceiling, and Article 15.E softens it: a teacher who has sat at the top step of Column I or II and later moves to Column III or higher is credited with extra steps for the years spent there without a raise. The contract's example is a teacher on Column I, Step J for seven years, who receives six additional steps on moving.
Under Article 15.A the schedule rose 3.5% in 2024–25, 4.75% in 2025–26 and 4.25% in 2026–27, each effective July 1. Teachers pay their own PERS contribution by payroll deduction. Newly hired teachers without experience start at Step A unless the position is designated hard to fill, a list that currently covers special education, dual language and bilingual roles, higher-level math and science, counselors and CTE. Our walkthrough of how to read a salary schedule explains lettered steps and paired column labels.
Which units count toward a Hillsboro column change?
Three kinds of hours appear in the agreement.
Graduate coursework. The column headings count graduate hours, and only those earned after the initial teaching license. The schedule does not print a quarter-to-semester conversion, so a teacher with semester-hour transcripts should ask Human Resources how they will be totaled; our quarter versus semester units article shows the usual arithmetic.
Equivalency credit. Article 10.F lets teachers request hours toward a salary schedule change for learning that falls outside graduate-level courses offered for credit. The activity must relate directly to the current assignment and be approved in advance by the Equivalency Credit Committee. The contract lists adult education, Spanish language study, technology courses tied to the assignment, workshops, recognized programs such as OMSI, ESD courses or clinics, and special work or travel experiences. The normal rate is ten cumulative hours of participation for one graduate term hour of college credit. School nurses earn credit for post-license nursing continuing education at eight hours per graduate term hour.
New-hire days. Article 5.A gives teachers new to the district a 194-day first year instead of the usual 191. Since 2025–26, those who work the three pre-year days choose between pay at the non-teaching rate and one credit per day toward salary schedule movement, three credits in all.
For the questions to ask about any course before paying for it, see which units count.
Does Hillsboro require approval before you take a course?
It depends on the route. College coursework used for column placement is judged when the proof arrives; Article 15.E asks for "proof of additional professional training" and sets no advance step. Equivalency credit is the opposite. The Equivalency Credit Committee must approve the activity before it happens, using the district's established form, and in an emergency the responsible administrator can approve a request against the committee's criteria.
Tuition reimbursement under Article 10.E also needs advance approval. The course must be requested in writing on the district form and receive written approval before it starts. The benefit works like this:
- Up to six quarter hours a year per teacher, first come, first served, until the annual fund runs out.
- Courses must be graduate level, or undergraduate classes directly related to the teacher's job in the district.
- Payment is the Portland State University graduate rate or the actual cost, whichever is lower.
- Proof of completion is due within 30 days; Human Resources can extend that for extenuating circumstances.
- A teacher may use two years' worth of credits within a two-year cycle, with a prorated payback for leaving before the cycle ends.
- Nurses, speech-language pathologists, school psychologists and Column VI teachers can apply the allowance to approved conferences or courses in their area of practice.
Training the district requires is paid separately and does not reduce a teacher's allowance. The district's tuition reimbursement page links the licensed reimbursement information. Article 10.C adds an annual professional growth plan agreed with the principal, which may include a program of study. Our pre-approval forms article covers what to keep once a request is signed.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Article 15.E has two cutoffs. Proof submitted by October 1 pays the higher column "for the entire contract year." Proof submitted by March 1 pays it "for the second half of that contract year."
Take a teacher on Column II who finishes the last course toward BA+45 in August. If the transcript reaches the district in September, Column III pay covers the full year. If the grade posts late and the transcript arrives in mid-October, the teacher waits for the March 1 window and draws Column III pay for the second half only. Our transcript deadlines article lists ways to avoid that gap.
Step movement runs on a separate rule. Article 15.H grants a year's advancement to teachers who work half-time or more for a full year, full time for half the year, or who are on paid leave.
Do the same units count toward Oregon license renewal?
Renewal is handled by TSPC, not the district. TSPC has paused professional development unit reporting for licenses that expire before July 1, 2029. For later expiration dates, a Preliminary Teaching License needs 75 PDUs and a Professional Teaching License 125, with a quarter credit worth 20 PDUs and a semester credit worth 30.
A graduate course that moves a Hillsboro teacher across a column can also count toward renewal, but the two systems are separate; equivalency hours approved by the district committee are a district pay decision, not a TSPC ruling. The Oregon renewal rules section explains the PDU pause, and the Oregon state guide shows how Hillsboro's columns compare with other districts.
Where can Hillsboro teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Hillsboro 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 Hillsboro's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What Hillsboro says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Hillsboro: Graduate hours after initial license; plus committee-approved equivalency 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 | Hillsboro: October 1 or March 1 | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Hillsboro: For equivalency credit and 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
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)
- Model Teaching: self-paced, 1 year, units through a choice of six universities, including University of the Pacific; $359 for 3 credits (price notes)
- PD Courses (University of La Verne): online or pdf, semester-based, units through University of La Verne; $420 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Teaching Channel: self-paced, units through a choice of eight universities; $489 for 3 credits (price notes)
- TLC Graduate Credits: self-paced, units through CSU Pueblo; $425 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 Hillsboro has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Hillsboro salary questions teachers ask
What is the Hillsboro column change deadline?
October 1 for the higher column to pay all year, or March 1 for it to pay the second half of the year, under Article 15.E of the HEA agreement.
Do credits I earned before my teaching license count in Hillsboro?
No. The salary schedule footnote says graduate hours are recognized only after the initial teaching license was obtained.
Can workshops count toward a Hillsboro column change?
Yes, through equivalency credit, if the Equivalency Credit Committee approves the activity in advance. The usual rate is ten hours of participation for one graduate term hour.
How much tuition does Hillsboro reimburse?
Up to six quarter hours a year, paid at the Portland State graduate rate or actual cost, whichever is lower, with written approval before the course and proof of completion within 30 days.
Where can Hillsboro teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Hillsboro 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, Model Teaching, PD Courses (University of La Verne), Teaching Channel and TLC Graduate Credits. 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
- Licensed Professional Agreement between Hillsboro School District and Hillsboro Education Association, July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2027, Hillsboro School District. Checked
- Licensed Salary Schedule 2026-27 (191 Days), Hillsboro School District. Checked
- Tuition Reimbursement, Hillsboro School District Human Resources. Checked
- Renewal information, Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error