Short answer
How do Seattle teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Seattle places teachers in lanes 100 (BA) through 900 (BA+155+MA), plus 906 for a doctorate, all measured in quarter credits. Credits must be earned by October 1 and official transcripts filed with Human Resources by the last school day in October. Ten approved clock hours count as one in-service credit.
Source: SEA Certificated Non-Supervisory agreement, Article IV, Seattle Public Schools. Checked .
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How is the Seattle teacher salary schedule organized?
The 2026-27 Certificated Non-Supervisory Salary Schedule took effect September 1, 2026 and includes a 2.6% increase. Its ten lanes, in the district's own labels, are:
- 100 (BA) and 200 (BA+22.5);
- 300 (BA+45) and 400 (BA+45+MA);
- 500 (BA+90) and 600 (BA+90+MA);
- 700 (BA+135), 800 (BA+135+MA) and 900 (BA+155+MA);
- 906 (PhD/Dr.).
A footnote settles a question many transfers ask: "The salary schedule is measured in quarter credits." The 22.5 in Lane 200 is simply 15 semester credits written in quarter units. The odd-numbered and even-numbered pairs show the role of the master's degree. Lane 400 needs both the 45 credits and a master's, so a teacher with 45 credits and no degree stays in 300.
Each step prints four rows rather than one figure: Base Pay for 180 days, five Contractual Days, four Tech Days and a Responsibility/Incentive line, for a 189-day total. Lanes 100 and 200 stop at step 6. Lanes 300 and 400 continue to step 12, and lanes 500 through 906 run to step 15, so the lane you hold also decides how many more annual steps remain. Our guide on how to read a salary schedule explains how stacked rows like these combine.
Lane 700 is marked "grandfathered only." The agreement bars placement there for anyone hired after December 31, 1991 unless they already qualified, and eligibility to move into 700 ended August 31, 2005. A current teacher with 135 credits beyond the bachelor's and no master's therefore has no lane to enter above 500.
Which units count toward a Seattle column change?
Article IV, Section H of the agreement sets placement by total acceptable credits plus degrees. Credits must come after your first bachelor's degree and must be recognized by OSPI under WAC 392-121. Within that frame, the section accepts:
- College credit that is education-related, from an institution accredited by NCATE and/or AACRAO or listed in the ACE directory of accredited institutions. Foreign credit counts when an accredited American college has accepted it.
- Community college credit earned after the bachelor's, at full value when it appears in the University of Washington College Transfer Guide or applies to a bachelor's or higher degree. Non-transfer classes can count if they relate directly to your assignment or improve your skills.
- Clock hours earned after August 31, 1987 that meet State Board approval standards and are approved by the SPS Human Resources Department. Every 10 clock hours equal one in-service credit, citing WAC 180-85-030 and 392-121-257. The providing agency must supply the official record, and clock hours cannot be used to earn a degree.
Duplicate courses are not acceptable, so repeating a class you already hold on a transcript adds nothing. Semester credits from outside Washington are converted into the quarter units the schedule uses; our explainer on quarter and semester units shows the arithmetic.
Worked example: a Lane 200 teacher holds BA+22.5. Adding two three-semester-credit courses (nine quarter credits) and 140 approved clock hours (14 in-service credits) brings the total to 45.5, enough for Lane 300 if the hours are dated by October 1.
Does Seattle require approval before you take a course?
The agreement prints no pre-approval form for college coursework. Approval happens at review: Human Resources checks each transcript against the Section H tests and OSPI recognition. Clock hours carry an explicit condition, because the agreement counts only those approved by the SPS Human Resources Department.
Because the decision comes after you finish, ask HR how a course will be treated before you pay for it, especially for community college classes or out-of-state providers. Our checklist on whether a district will accept a course lists the questions worth asking.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Section I of Article IV holds the calendar. Credits must be earned by October 1. Official transcripts must be filed with Human Resources by the last school day in October, and credits earned during first semester or later apply to the following year.
Timing also decides when the raise arrives. Credits HR receives by August 1 appear on the October warrant. Credits received between August 1 and the last teaching day in October are adjusted by December 1, and no later than February 1, retroactive to the start of the school year.
Miss October and a narrower window remains. A transcript for credits earned by October 1 may still be accepted until the last school day of first semester, but the increase then applies only to second semester. After that point nothing counts for the current year.
Seattle is strict about the paper itself. Transcripts must be official, carry the registrar's stamp, and arrive sealed if you hand-carry them; unsealed copies are refused. You order them yourself, and SPS does not forward them to OSPI, so a teacher also updating state records sends a separate set. See our note on transcript deadlines for why the arrival date governs.
Do the same units count toward Washington license renewal?
Usually, though the state counts in hours, not lanes. The Professional Educator Standards Board renews most certificates with 100 clock hours every five years, 15 of them on equity-based school practices. Under WAC 181-85-030 a quarter credit is worth 10 hours, the same ratio Seattle uses for in-service credit, so one approved clock-hour course can serve both purposes. The Washington renewal rules are summarized on our Washington state guide.
Where can Seattle teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Seattle 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 Seattle's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Before you enroll: Seattle accepts education-related credit from accredited colleges and universities that OSPI recognizes under WAC 392-121. The units below are non-degree, so ask Human Resources how a course would be recorded before you enroll.
| Question | What Seattle says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Seattle: Accredited college credit after the BA; 10 approved clock hours = 1 credit | 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 | Seattle: Last school day in October; credits earned by October 1 | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Seattle: No form for coursework; clock hours need HR approval | 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 Seattle has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Seattle salary questions teachers ask
Does Seattle count clock hours toward a lane change?
Yes. Clock hours earned after August 31, 1987 that meet State Board standards and are approved by SPS Human Resources count at 10 hours per in-service credit. They cannot be used to earn a degree.
What is the Seattle Public Schools deadline for new credits?
Credits must be earned by October 1 and official transcripts filed with Human Resources by the last school day in October. A late transcript for those credits, accepted through the end of first semester, raises pay for second semester only.
Can I still move into Seattle's Lane 700?
No. Lane 700 is grandfathered. The agreement closed placement to hires after December 31, 1991 who did not already qualify, and eligibility to move into it expired August 31, 2005.
Does Seattle use quarter or semester credits?
Quarter credits. The 2026-27 schedule states that it is measured in quarter credits, which is why Lane 200 reads BA+22.5.
Where can Seattle teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Seattle 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
- Collective Bargaining Agreement, Certificated Non-Supervisory Employees, 2025-2026, Seattle Public Schools and Seattle Education Association. Checked
- 2026-27 Certificated Non-Supervisory Salary Schedule, Seattle Public Schools. Checked
- CBAs, Salary Schedules and Work Year Calendars, Seattle Public Schools Human Resources. Checked
- Clock hours, Washington Professional Educator Standards Board. Checked
- WAC 181-85-030, Washington Administrative Code. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error