Short answer
How do Katy ISD teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Katy has no columns to climb. The 2026-27 Teacher Hiring Schedule lists pay for 0 through 40+ years of experience on a 10-month basis. One Advanced Degree Stipend, the same for a master's or a doctorate, is the only education add-on. Official transcripts must show the conferred degree; loose graduate-level hours count for nothing.
Source: 2026-2027 Teacher Hiring Schedule, Katy ISD. Checked .
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How is the Katy ISD teacher salary schedule organized?
The schedule is short by design. A left-hand column gives years of experience from 0 to 40+, and a right-hand column gives the 2026-2027 new-hire salary for each. Below the table sits the Advanced Degree Stipend, labeled "(Master's or Doctorate)," and four notes worth reading closely:
- "Each year the Board of Trustees adopts a one-year Teacher Salary Hiring Schedule."
- The salaries are based on 10-month employment for 2026-27.
- Salary plans are set annually, and "salary advancement is not guaranteed."
- Salaries are set individually, with consideration for job-related experience and credentials.
The third note explains why returning teachers should not treat the next row down as automatic. Each year's raise comes from the board's compensation decision. On June 22, 2026, the board unanimously approved a 1 percent midpoint increase for all employees, plus two one-time lump sums of 1 percent each, paid in August and in December 2026. The 2026-27 Compensation & Benefits Plan states that one-time lump sums are not base pay and are not creditable compensation with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
The plan also contains the experience rules. Career and technology teachers in approved positions may count up to two years of work experience required for their certification, and certified teacher aides who become classroom teachers may count up to two years of direct instruction. See how to read a salary schedule for the general layout this one simplifies.
Do graduate-level hours raise pay at Katy ISD?
Not until they become a degree. The hiring schedule and the 52-page Compensation & Benefits Plan name only one education payment, the Advanced Degree Stipend, and it pays the same amount whether the degree is a master's or a doctorate. Neither document mentions hour thresholds, BA+ steps or partial credit.
Consider two Katy teachers with eight years of experience. One has a bachelor's and 27 graduate-level hours; the other has a bachelor's only. Both sit on the eight-year row with identical base pay. If the first teacher finishes a master's, the stipend applies. If that teacher later earns a doctorate, the stipend stays the same because the schedule pays one stipend for either degree.
The Human Resources FAQ explains what counts as proof. A professional hire must provide official transcripts from every college or university where a degree was conferred. Uploading a copy with the job application is not enough, and electronic transcripts must go straight from the institution to Human Resources; a teacher cannot forward them. Paper transcripts are mailed to Human Resources, attention Certification Specialists. Weighing a full degree against a stack of courses? Our piece on master's degrees versus credits lays out the math.
Does Katy ISD require approval before you take a course?
Katy publishes no salary pre-approval form for coursework, which follows from paying for degrees rather than hours. The check happens when Human Resources receives official transcripts showing the conferred degree. Whether a given program qualifies is the district's decision, so ask Human Resources before enrolling if you are unsure. The district acceptance checklist lists the questions to put to them.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Katy's published dates apply to experience credit, and they are specific. On the Service Record Information page:
- Verifying outside experience is the employee's responsibility, and it must come from a public or private school accredited by an association the Texas Education Agency recognizes.
- For current-year placement, the forms must reach Human Resources by your last workday of the school year you were hired.
- A teacher who starts at Step 0 has until the end of the first school year to document experience, after which the step may be adjusted with any eligible back pay.
- A teacher given upfront credit must turn in service records or Verification of Experience forms by November 1, or the step and salary may be adjusted for the rest of the year.
No separate deadline for degree documentation appears on these pages, so send official transcripts as soon as the degree is conferred and ask Human Resources when the stipend will start. Our transcript deadlines article explains why timing matters.
Do the same units count toward Texas license renewal?
Yes. Courses that fall short of a degree still renew a Texas certificate. 19 TAC §232.11 asks a classroom teacher for 150 CPE hours in each five-year period and gives 15 for every semester hour taken at an accredited college or university. Four three-hour courses taken within one cycle supply 180 CPE hours, more than the requirement. The Texas renewal section covers record-keeping, and the Texas state guide compares districts.
Where can Katy ISD teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Katy ISD 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 Katy ISD's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Katy ISD pays by completed degree, certificate level or rating rather than by units, so courses short of a degree do not change a Katy ISD 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 Katy ISD or Texas names in writing.
| Question | What Katy ISD says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Katy ISD: Conferred degrees only; one stipend for a master's or doctorate | 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 | Katy ISD: Last workday of hire year; service records; November 1 with upfront credit | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Katy ISD: None published; official transcripts reviewed by HR | 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)
- 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 Katy ISD has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Katy ISD salary questions teachers ask
Is the Katy ISD stipend higher for a doctorate?
No. The 2026-27 Teacher Hiring Schedule lists one Advanced Degree Stipend for a master's or a doctorate.
Can I email my own transcripts to Katy ISD?
No. Electronic transcripts must be sent directly from the college or university to Human Resources and cannot be forwarded by the employee. Mailed transcripts go to Human Resources, attention Certification Specialists.
When are Katy ISD service records due?
By your last workday of the school year you were hired. Teachers who received upfront experience credit must document it by November 1, and Step 0 starters have until the end of their first year, with any eligible back pay.
Are Katy's 2026-27 lump-sum payments part of base salary?
No. The Compensation & Benefits Plan says one-time lump sums are not an increase in base pay and are not TRS-creditable compensation.
Where can Katy ISD teachers take graduate-level courses for license renewal?
Katy ISD 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, 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
- 2026-2027 Teacher Hiring Schedule, Katy ISD. Checked
- 2026-2027 Compensation & Benefits Plan, Katy ISD. Checked
- Compensation, Katy ISD Human Resources. Checked
- Service Record Information, Katy ISD Human Resources. Checked
- Frequently Asked Questions, Katy ISD Human Resources. Checked
- Katy ISD Board Approves Pay Increases for 2026–27 (June 22, 2026), Katy ISD. Checked
- 19 TAC Chapter 232, Subchapter A, §232.11, Texas Education Agency. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error