Short answer
How do Rutherford teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Rutherford pays five degree columns (BA, MA, MA+45, EDS, DR) over steps 0 to 25. Add the new degree in TNCompass. A degree earned by August and filed with the state by December 1 raises pay for the whole contract year; one earned by December and filed by February 1 raises the second half. Then give HR your signed license.
Source: Certified Employee Handbook 2026, Rutherford County Schools. Checked .
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How is the Rutherford teacher salary schedule organized?
The 2026-2027 Certified Salary Scale is printed as the district's proposed certified pay schedule for a 200-day certified teacher, with a proposed 2.00 percent increase for the year noted on the sheet. Its columns are degree levels:
| Column | Education level |
|---|---|
| BA | Bachelor's |
| MA | Master's |
| MA+45 | Master's plus 45 |
| EDS | Education Specialist |
| DR | Doctorate |
Steps run 0 through 25, but the top steps cover bands of experience rather than single years. Years 22 to 25 sit on Step 22, years 26 to 29 on Step 23, years 30 to 35 on Step 24, and 36 or more on Step 25. The guide to reading a salary schedule explains why districts compress the late steps this way.
The separate 2026-2027 Certified Pay Schedule, revised in March 2026, sets the payroll calendar: 10-month employees are paid on the 20th, and the 200-day contract is made up of 180 instructional days, 5 in-service days, 5 discretionary days and 10 vacation days.
Which units count toward a Rutherford column change?
Columns follow the degree printed on your Tennessee teaching license. New employees are paid on the degree shown there, and current employees move only when an updated license reflects a new degree. Single courses that never lead to a recorded degree do not move a column.
MA+45 is the one column that is not a diploma title. The district's TNCompass instruction sheet tells teachers adding it that they may write "requesting for master's 30/45 degree" in the transaction's submission notes, so the level is requested through the same state transaction as other degrees. What coursework the state accepts for that record is decided in TNCompass review, so check the requirement with the Tennessee Department of Education and Rutherford's Human Resources office before enrolling. Master's vs. credits sets out the general trade-offs.
District in-service is a separate bucket. The handbook pays certified staff for 12 hours of in-service a year, and it reprints the state's list of activities that are not approvable as in-service, which includes college courses for credit toward a degree. Degree coursework therefore cannot double as those paid in-service hours.
Does Rutherford require approval before you take a course?
The handbook sets no course pre-approval for salary. The approval that matters belongs to the state. The district's "TN Compass New Degree" sheet walks through it:
- Have the university send official transcripts directly to the state.
- In TNCompass, open My Educator Profile, choose Transactions and start a new transaction to add the degree.
- Wait while the status reads "Pending OELP review."
- After approval, find the degree under the Preparation tab.
- Print that Preparation screen, sign and date it, and send the scan to the district's payroll office.
Alongside that, the handbook asks for a copy of the new license, signed by the employee to verify accuracy, delivered to Human Resources. Employees acknowledge in the handbook that providing the updated license is their responsibility. In-service is handled differently: an Alternative PD request needs approval through Professional Learning at least 48 hours ahead.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
The "New Degrees" section of the handbook works on two windows. Salary adjustments are made only for degrees earned by December of the year and verified on a new license presented to the Central Office that year.
| Degree earned by | File with the state by | Raise covers |
|---|---|---|
| August | December 1 | The entire contract year |
| December | February 1 | The second half of the contract |
Adjustments, including retroactive pay, are made once Human Resources has the signed copy of the license. Each spring the Central Office sends schools a memo asking certified staff to report degrees they expect to finish, and the handbook warns that not reporting an anticipated degree may delay the raise until the following school year. A teacher hired with a May or August graduation pending must tell the office at hiring and supply documentation. The transcript deadlines article compares calendars like this one with rolling systems.
Do the same units count toward Tennessee license renewal?
Coursework counts for renewal even when it does not finish a degree. The state requires 60 PDPs, or two qualifying years of experience, to renew a professional license, and 30 PDPs for a practitioner license after its first issuance. A semester hour of college credit earns 10 PDPs, which you enter in TNCompass for approval by a district designee. A teacher partway through a Rutherford MA+45 plan can count those semester hours toward renewal now. Our Tennessee page lists the PDP renewal requirements, and the article on renewal credit versus salary credit compares the two tests.
Where can Rutherford teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Rutherford 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 Rutherford's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Rutherford pays by completed degree, certificate level or rating rather than by units, so courses short of a degree do not change a Rutherford 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 Rutherford or Tennessee names in writing.
| Question | What Rutherford says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Rutherford: Degrees shown on your TN license | 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 | Rutherford: December 1 or February 1; filed with the state | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Rutherford: None for salary; state reviews the degree in TNCompass | 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)
- 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)
- Upward Teachers: self-paced, 1 to 6 months, letter grade, units through UMass Global; $240 sale 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 Rutherford has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Rutherford salary questions teachers ask
When is the Rutherford County deadline to get paid for a new degree?
File with the state by December 1 for a degree earned by August, which raises pay for the full contract year, or by February 1 for a degree earned by December, which raises the second half.
How do I add a master's 30/45 in TNCompass for Rutherford?
Have transcripts sent to the state, start a new transaction under My Educator Profile, and you may note "requesting for master's 30/45 degree." After OELP approval, send a signed copy of the Preparation screen to payroll.
What does Rutherford HR need after my degree is approved?
A copy of your updated Tennessee license, signed by you to verify accuracy. Pay adjustments, including retroactive pay, follow its submission.
Do college courses count as Rutherford in-service hours?
No. College courses for credit toward a degree are on the state's list of non-approvable in-service activities reprinted in the handbook.
Where can Rutherford teachers take graduate-level courses for license renewal?
Rutherford 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, PD Courses (University of La Verne), Teaching Channel, TLC Graduate Credits and Upward 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 Employee Handbook 2026, Rutherford County Schools. Checked
- 2026-2027 Certified Salary Scale, Rutherford County Schools. Checked
- TN Compass New Degree instructions, Rutherford County Schools. Checked
- 2026-2027 Certified Pay Schedule, Rutherford County Schools. Checked
- Certified Employment Resources, Rutherford County Schools Human Resources. Checked
- PDP FAQ for educators, Tennessee Department of Education. Checked
- Licensed educators: renewal and advancement, Tennessee Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error