Short answer
How do Vermont teachers renew a license and move up the salary schedule?
A Vermont Level II Professional Educator License is valid for five years. To renew each endorsement, a teacher shows at least 6 credits or 90 hours of professional learning in the endorsement area, with at least 2 credits or 30 hours on that endorsement's standards. Fifteen clock hours equal one credit. Salary columns are set in each district's negotiated agreement.
Source: Vermont Rules Governing the Licensing of Educators, Rule Series 5100. Checked .
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How do you renew a Vermont teaching license?
The licensing rules (Rule Series 5100, effective March 22, 2023) set two professional licenses. A Level I license is valid for three years and a Level II license for five, each expiring on June 30 of its final school year. The Agency of Education's renewal page is where educators start the process.
The step that makes Vermont different is the recommendation. Under rule 5432.1, a Level II educator seeks a recommendation for renewal from their local or regional standards board, or from the licensing office if their employer is not served by one. That board verifies the professional learning and decides whether each activity applies. Rule 5432.3 says approved activities are accepted "on a reciprocal basis" by other boards and the office, so approved work travels with a teacher who changes districts.
For a Level II renewal, rule 5432 asks for:
- 6 credits or 90 hours per endorsement in the endorsement area.
- At least 2 credits or 30 hours addressing the specific knowledge and performance standards of the endorsement being renewed, completed within the five years before renewal.
- Any extra license or credential that a particular endorsement requires.
A Level I endorsement that is renewed rather than moved up to Level II needs 3 credits or 45 hours, with at least 1 credit or 15 hours on the endorsement standards. For Level I, the rule says only academic credits with a grade of B or better are accepted.
The details of what counts sit in Standards Board Policy H2, which every board applies:
- Conversion. Fifteen clock hours of professional learning equal one credit, and the minimum contact time that earns relicensure credit is one hour.
- Academic courses. Graduate-level or undergraduate courses need an official transcript or grade report showing a B or better. There is no limit on how many required credits come from courses.
- Workshops and conferences. Sessions from credible, recognizable organizations also have no limit.
- Capped categories. Course design, applied experience, local initiatives, state or national projects, partnerships and research are each limited to 45 hours per endorsement. A course audit may not exceed 45 hours, and only one course may be audited per licensure cycle.
- Pre-approval. It is "suggested but not required."
- Multiple endorsements. Credits from one cycle may apply to several endorsements, if they fit each one.
National Board certification is also a listed category. For how clock hours and credits relate in other states, see clock hours, CEUs and semester credits, and the license renewal hub lines Vermont up against its neighbors.
Relicensing hours are not lane credits. A standards board can count a workshop toward renewal. Burlington's salary schedule looks for graduate-level academic credit, and Champlain Valley wants credits approved before the work begins.
How is teacher pay set in Vermont?
Vermont has no state salary schedule. Pay comes from local bargaining under the teacher labor relations chapter of Title 16. 16 V.S.A. § 2004 requires a school board, on request, to negotiate with the teachers' organization on salary and related economic conditions of employment. Health care benefits, other than stand-alone vision and dental, are not bargained locally under that section. Each district or supervisory union then publishes its own schedule as part of its agreement.
Both districts below use the familiar grid: columns for education and steps for years of service. Their column labels differ a great deal, though. Champlain Valley mixes degree and credit totals in each heading, and Burlington gives each column two names, one for credits beyond a bachelor's and one for credits beyond a master's. A teacher moving between districts should read the column definitions before counting credits. Our guides to salary lane names and how lane changes work cover the general pattern.
Timing matters too. Both large districts below allow a mid-year column move on a February 1 effective date, but the paperwork deadline for that move is March 1 in both. Missing the fall deadline does not always mean waiting a full year.
What do some of the largest Vermont districts require?
Champlain Valley School District
Read the full Champlain Valley guide →
The 2025-2028 teacher agreement uses columns labeled B, B15, MB30, M15B45 and M30B60. Credits count only when taken as part of a teacher's local professional development plan (PLP) or the local action plan, "as approved by the Superintendent."
- Approval: credits must be approved by the Superintendent or designee before the creditable work begins.
- What counts: course credits from an accredited college or university, or workshop and conference credit from a "bona fide educational organization approved by the Superintendent."
- July 1 move: finish the work by September 1 and document it to the Superintendent by September 30.
- February 1 move: finish by January 1 and document it before March 1, for a pro-rated increase.
- Master's: 30 credit hours count as a master's for schedule purposes; extra program credits count beyond it.
Burlington School District
Read the full Burlington guide →
The 2025-2028 agreement labels its columns BA, BA+15, BA+36/MA, BA+51/MA+15 and BA+66/MA+30. Section 18.4 counts "graduate level academic credits" in the teacher's academic field, or directly related to the teaching assignment.
- Approval: courses outside the field, or any undergraduate course, need prior written Board approval.
- Fall deadline: credits earned before September 1 and reported to the Superintendent by September 30 apply from the start of the year.
- Mid-year: the agreement's calendar sets March 1 as the deadline to report graduate-level credits for movement retroactive to February 1.
- Planning notice: teachers are asked to notify the Board of planned salary-credit courses between December 1 and December 15.
- CTE: a teacher who holds a National Industry Certification is treated as having a master's for placement.
Full district guides for Vermont
Before you enroll
- Count per endorsement. Six credits or 90 hours for each Level II endorsement you renew, with 2 credits or 30 hours on its standards.
- Check with your standards board. Pre-approval is optional under Policy H2, but the board decides what applies.
- Get district approval first. Champlain Valley requires it before the work starts; Burlington requires it for out-of-field or undergraduate courses.
- Earn a B or better. Academic courses need that grade to count toward relicensing.
- Pick your deadline. September 30 for a fall move in both districts, or March 1 for February 1. Our transcript deadlines article explains the timing.
The provider directory groups semester-credit providers by need, and the comparison table shows their costs and formats side by side.
Vermont questions teachers ask
How many hours do I need to renew a Vermont Level II license?
Ninety hours, or 6 credits, of professional learning in each endorsement area, with at least 30 hours (2 credits) on the endorsement's own standards inside the five years before renewal.
How many clock hours equal one credit in Vermont?
Fifteen. Policy H2 sets that conversion for professional learning activities other than academic courses.
Do I need pre-approval for Vermont relicensing activities?
Policy H2 says pre-approval is suggested but not required. Your local or regional standards board still decides whether each activity applies.
What grade do college courses need for Vermont renewal?
A B or better, shown on an official transcript or grade report. Graduate-level and undergraduate courses both qualify, with no limit on the number of credits earned that way.
Can I move columns mid-year in Champlain Valley or Burlington?
Both agreements allow a February 1 move. Champlain Valley wants the work done by January 1 and documented before March 1; Burlington's calendar sets March 1 as the reporting deadline.
Sources
- Rules Governing the Licensing of Educators, Rule Series 5100, Vermont Agency of Education. Checked
- Renew a license, Vermont Agency of Education. Checked
- Policy H2, Activities that qualify for professional learning, Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators. Checked
- 16 V.S.A. § 2004, Vermont General Assembly. Checked
- Teacher collective bargaining agreement 2025-2028, Champlain Valley School District. Checked
- BEA agreement 2025-2028, Burlington School District. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error