Short answer
How do Bellevue teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Bellevue teachers move from lane A (BA) to B, C and D at 15, 30 and 45 quarter hours beyond the BA, to E at 90 or a master's, then F at MA+45 and G at MA+90 or a doctorate. Classes must end by September 30, requests are due before October 15, and transcripts by November 10.
Source: BEA and Bellevue School District agreement, Article 22, Section 3, Bellevue School District. Checked .
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How is the Bellevue teacher salary schedule organized?
The 2026/27 Certificated Staff Salary Schedule has seven lettered columns:
- A, BA; B, BA+15; C, BA+30; D, BA+45;
- E, BA+90 or MA;
- F, BA+135* or MA+45;
- G, MA+90 or doctorate.
The schedule is index-based, and its pattern is easy to spot: the index in each column equals the index one step down in the column to its left, so in index terms a lane change is worth one step of experience. Columns A through C stop growing at step 10, D at step 11, E at step 13, and F and G at step 14. Rows for steps 15, 20 and 25 repeat the maximums.
Base Pay is only the first line. Each cell also lists Contractual Professional Development (four days), Optional Professional Development (two and a half days), a Responsibility/Incentive amount set at 4% and a Technology line. Our explainer on how to read a salary schedule shows how these supplemental lines combine with base pay.
The asterisk on F matters for anyone counting credits without a second degree: "BA+135 is closed effective 9/1/1997." Article 22, Section 2 keeps it closed to new employees unless they were placed there before that date. Today lane F requires a master's plus 45 quarter hours.
The agreement between the Bellevue Education Association and Bellevue School District No. 405 runs September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2027. It raised the schedule 2.5% for 2025-26 and ties 2026-27 to the Legislature's inflation adjustment.
Which units count toward a Bellevue column change?
Article 22, Section 3 counts "District academic credits and clock hours," and the lane thresholds are written in quarter hours. The submission form asks you to mark each entry as quarter credits, semester credits or clock hours, so out-of-state semester work is reported as such. Our quarter versus semester units article shows how the two systems compare.
Appendix 2.3, Submission of College Credits and Washington State Clock Hours Earned Outside BSD for Salary Increments, sets the content test. Credits earned after September 1, 1995 must meet RCW 28A.415.023, which means the course must satisfy at least one of seven criteria, noted per course on the form:
- consistent with the school-based plan for student learning;
- pertains to your current or expected assignment;
- needed for an endorsement from the Professional Educator Standards Board;
- required for an advanced level of certification;
- part of a degree program related to your current or potential assignment;
- addresses assessment and instruction for students with dyslexia, dysgraphia and language disabilities;
- pertains to the teacher evaluation system under RCW 28A.405.100.
The provider must be an accredited college or university or an approved Washington clock hour provider. The Salary Advancement Request form tracks "District Credits" and "S-275 Credits" separately, a reminder that the district and state counts are recorded side by side.
Does Bellevue require approval before you take a course?
Bellevue builds a sign-off into the paperwork. The Appendix 2.3 form for credits and clock hours earned outside the district carries an "Approving Supervisor's Signature" line next to yours, and you certify that the information is accurate. The Salary Advancement Request adds that all master's degree programs must also be approved by your principal or supervisor.
The agreement does not fix a date for that signature, so the safest practice is to get it before you enroll, while there is still time to choose a different course. Our guide to pre-approval forms explains what a signed form does and does not guarantee.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Article 22, Section 3 sets the sequence:
- the class must be completed by September 30 of the current school year;
- the electronic Salary Advancement Request (Appendix 2.4) reaches Human Resources before October 15;
- the official transcript arrives by November 10.
Pay follows no later than the November 30 warrant and is retroactive to the first month of contracted service. National Board candidates may supply evidence of completion and submission by October 15 to receive clock hours toward advancement.
One caution: the printed Appendix 2.4 form still lists earlier dates for an October adjustment, including approval forms before September 30 and transcripts by October 15, and offers September processing for paperwork filed before September 15. The Article 22 dates are the contract terms; filing early only helps.
Placement at MA+45 is figured on state experience criteria, so the form warns that a move into lane F may not land straight across from your current step.
Do the same units count toward Washington license renewal?
Approved Washington clock hours and accredited credit can count both ways, but the state tallies them differently. PESB renews most certificates with 100 clock hours every five years, including 15 on equity-based school practices, and an hour applies to only one renewal requirement. The full rules are in the renewal section of our Washington state guide.
Where can Bellevue teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Bellevue 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 Bellevue's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What Bellevue says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Bellevue: Quarter hours and approved clock hours; RCW 28A.415.023 criteria | 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 | Bellevue: Request before October 15; transcript by November 10 | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Bellevue: Supervisor signs Appendix 2.3; MA programs approved by principal | 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)
- 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)
- Fresno Pacific University CE: self-paced, up to 1 year, units through Fresno Pacific University; ≈$475 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 Bellevue has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Bellevue salary questions teachers ask
What is the Bellevue School District salary advancement deadline?
Classes must be finished by September 30, the electronic Salary Advancement Request is due before October 15, and the official transcript by November 10.
How many credits do I need for Bellevue's C lane?
Thirty quarter hours beyond the bachelor's. Lane B needs 15 and lane D needs 45.
Does a Bellevue course need my supervisor's signature?
For credits and clock hours earned outside the district, the Appendix 2.3 submission form includes an approving supervisor's signature. Master's programs also need principal or supervisor approval.
When will I see the raise after a Bellevue lane change?
No later than the November 30 pay warrant, retroactive to the first month of contracted service that school year.
Where can Bellevue teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Bellevue 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, Credits for Teachers, Dominican CA Online, For Teachers By Teachers and Fresno Pacific University CE. 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
- Agreement between Bellevue Education Association and Bellevue School District No. 405, 2025-2027, Bellevue School District. Checked
- 2026/27 Certificated Staff Salary Schedule, Bellevue School District. Checked
- Collective Bargaining Agreements, Bellevue School District Human Resources. Checked
- Clock hours, Washington Professional Educator Standards Board. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error