Short answer
How do Tacoma teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Tacoma pays across ten columns, from BA through BA+15, BA+30, BA+45, BA+90, MA+0, BA+135, MA+45 and MA+90 to PhD. Clock hours and credits accepted by OSPI count. Work earned by October 1 and filed with Human Resources by December 31 counts toward that year's placement; anything later waits a year.
Source: TEA Unified Collective Bargaining Agreement, Sections 22 and 23, Tacoma Public Schools. Checked .
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How is the Tacoma teacher salary schedule organized?
The 2026-2027 TEA Certificated Salary Schedule took effect September 1, 2026. Each column carries a two-character code that appears on pay records, which helps when you read your own stub:
- 01 BA, 02 BA+15, 03 BA+30, 04 BA+45;
- 06 BA+90, 7A MA+0, 9 BA+135;
- 1A MA+45, 3A MA+90, 13 PhD.
Rows run by years of experience, 0 through 19, matched to pay steps 1 through 20. Each step shows a Base Salary line and a Professional Responsibility Stipend, which Section 22.B fixes at 4.5% of your base placement, for a "total contracted salary." Three optional lines follow: 14 hours of self-selected professional development, 7 hours of technology professional development and 7 hours of district professional development.
Because the stipend is a percentage of base, a column change raises it automatically. A footnote warns that the schedule rests on the Legislature's 2.6% implicit price deflator (IPD) and may change during 2026-27. The agreement itself runs September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2028, with each year's increase tied to the IPD.
Notice that the master's columns are interleaved with credit columns rather than stacked after them. A teacher at BA+90 who finishes a master's moves to MA+0 (7A); a teacher who keeps adding credits without the degree moves to BA+135 (9). Our guide to salary lane names explains why districts mix degree and credit labels this way.
Which units count toward a Tacoma column change?
Section 22.J is a single sentence with a wide reach. All clock hours and in-service or professional credits accepted by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction on Form S-275, under WAC 181-85-030, are accepted by the district for salary schedule advancement.
That puts the state's rules in charge rather than a district list. WAC 181-85-030 is Washington's continuing education rule, and it values a quarter credit at 10 clock hours and a semester credit at 15. Section 23.A repeats the point: recognition of degrees and credits follows state-established guidelines.
Two grandfather clauses protect long-serving staff. Employees under contract on or before August 31, 1990 are grandfathered, and credits earned before September 1, 1989 that are already on the schedule stay there.
Worked example: a teacher in column 03 (BA+30) completes a five-quarter-credit university course and 100 approved clock hours, which convert to 10 credits. The new total of BA+45 places them in column 04 if both were finished by October 1 and documented by December 31. For a closer look at the kinds of courses state rules accept, see which units count.
Does Tacoma require approval before you take a course?
The agreement does not create a district pre-approval step. The test is whether OSPI would accept the work, and Human Resources verifies the credits and experience you supply. Section 23 puts that burden on the employee: placement depends on verification of credits and experience supplied by the employee.
When a course sits near the edges of the state rules, such as a provider whose approval you are unsure of, ask Human Resources before enrolling. Our checklist on whether a district will accept a course lists the questions to put in writing.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Section 23 separates the earning date from the reporting date. Clock hours, degrees and credits earned on or before October 1 and filed with Human Resources no later than December 31 count toward that school year's salary placement. Anything earned after October 1 applies to the following school year, no matter how quickly you report it.
That December window is longer than in many Washington districts, but it does not stretch the earning date. A summer course that ends in September is safe; a fall-quarter course that ends in December is not, and will count the year after. Our page on transcript deadlines covers how registrar posting times can push a December filing too late.
Do the same units count toward Washington license renewal?
Tacoma's salary rule and the state's renewal rule cite the same regulation, WAC 181-85-030, so most approved clock hours and credits do double duty. Renewal still has its own structure: 100 clock hours per five-year certificate, including 15 on equity-based school practices, logged with the state. See the renewal section of our Washington state guide.
Where can Tacoma teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Tacoma 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 Tacoma's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Before you enroll: Pacific describes these professional development units as "not applicable for a degree at Pacific" but transferable "at the discretion of your institution." Whether that meets the transferable-or-degree-applicable test is Tacoma, following OSPI's S-275 rules,'s decision, so ask human resources in writing before you enroll.
| Question | What Tacoma says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Tacoma: Whatever OSPI accepts on Form S-275; WAC 181-85-030 | 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 | Tacoma: December 31; for work earned by October 1 | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Tacoma: No district step; HR verifies what you supply | 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 Tacoma has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Tacoma salary questions teachers ask
When does Tacoma need my transcripts for a column change?
By December 31, for work earned on or before October 1. Work earned after October 1 counts the following school year.
Does Tacoma Public Schools accept clock hours?
Yes. Section 22.J of the TEA agreement accepts all clock hours and in-service or professional credits that OSPI accepts on Form S-275 under WAC 181-85-030.
What is the Professional Responsibility Stipend in Tacoma?
A stipend equal to 4.5% of your base salary placement, paid for responsibilities beyond the base contract. It rises with any column change.
Is a master's its own column in Tacoma?
Yes. MA+0 is column 7A, and MA+45 and MA+90 follow as columns 1A and 3A, with PhD as column 13.
Where can Tacoma teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Tacoma 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
- Tacoma Education Association Unified Collective Bargaining Agreement, 2025-2028, Tacoma Public Schools. Checked
- 2026-2027 TEA Certificated Salary Schedule, Tacoma Public Schools. Checked
- WAC 181-85-030, Washington Administrative Code. Checked
- Certificate renewal, Washington Professional Educator Standards Board. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error