Panama-Buena Vista Union School District teacher salaries

Panama-Buena Vista Union School District is an elementary school district in Kern County, with its district office in Bakersfield. Pay starts at $58,805 on the first step. The largest group (37%) is on the BA+75 column, which climbs to $119,064 by step 25.

Lowest

$58,805

BA, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$94,230

  • $3,694 above Kern County average
  • $9,322 below California average

Highest

$119,064

BA+75, step 25

Panama-Buena Vista Union average

Kern County average$90,536

California average$103,552

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
764
Starting salary
$58,805
BA, step 1
Median salary
$92,739
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
421st of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Panama-Buena Vista Union pay teachers more than the median California district?

Line up all 828 reporting California districts from the lowest average salary to the highest. The one in the middle is the median district: half the districts pay a lower average, half pay a higher one. A median isn't pulled up or down by a few unusually high- or low-paying districts, so it shows what a typical district pays.

No

Panama-Buena Vista Union's average of $94,230 is below the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Panama-Buena Vista Union ranks 421st of 828.

Panama-Buena Vista Union
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 37 reporting districts in Kern County

Panama-Buena Vista Union ranks 7th of 37, above the middle district.

Panama-Buena Vista Union
$60k$80k$100k

Middle district: $83,787

Each bar counts the districts whose average salary falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the median district.

What BA+98, steps and credentials mean

Teacher pay in California is set by a grid. Two things place you on it: how long you've taught and how much college you've done.

Step
Steps go up with years of service. Step 5 on Panama-Buena Vista Union's BA column pays $67,037. Experienced teachers joining Panama-Buena Vista Union can be placed as high as step 25.
Column, such as BA+98
Your bachelor's degree (BA) plus the college semester units you've completed since. BA+98 means a bachelor's plus 98 more units. Panama-Buena Vista Union's columns run from BA to BA+75, 7 in all.

How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Panama-Buena Vista Union?

Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.

$92,739

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $119,064 on step 25.

$119,064$58,805
Step 1Step 25
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Panama-Buena Vista Union's full salary schedule, 2024-252

Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 44% of Panama-Buena Vista Union's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepBABA+12BA+24BA+36BA+48BA+60BA+75
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

Swipe the table sideways for more columns.

Tap any salary to see how many full-time equivalents are paid it and follow it on the chart above.

Full-time equivalents in a cell
  1. 5+
  5. 94
Cells with fewer than 5 stay unshaded. Bold figures sit in the three darkest shades.Striped cells: this column has no salary at that step.

Bonuses, health cover and work days at Panama-Buena Vista Union

Bonuses are paid on top of the schedule, in the amounts the district reported.2 Teachers are exempt from federal overtime pay.3 Extra pay for coaching, clubs and similar duties isn't part of this report.

Questions about teacher pay at Panama-Buena Vista Union

How much do Panama-Buena Vista Union teachers make?

The average salary on Panama-Buena Vista Union's teacher schedule is $94,230 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $58,805 (BA, step 1) to $119,064 (BA+75, step 25).

What does a new teacher earn at Panama-Buena Vista Union?

The schedule starts at $58,805 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 25.

How long does it take to reach the top of the Panama-Buena Vista Union pay scale?

On the BA+75 column, where 37% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 25, where it reaches $119,064. Steps go up with years of service.

Does a master's degree raise pay at Panama-Buena Vista Union?

Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Panama-Buena Vista Union reports a master's bonus of $1,500 on top. For a doctorate it reports $2,500.

Is Panama-Buena Vista Union teacher pay high for California?

Panama-Buena Vista Union's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 421st of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 7th of 37 in Kern County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $90,536 in Kern County.

Keep exploring teacher pay in Kern County

Sources for the Panama-Buena Vista Union figures

Salaries are the annual amounts on the district's certificated salary schedule. Following the state's definitions, they leave out extended-year pay, bonuses and extra-curricular pay such as coaching. Counts are full-time equivalents, so two half-time teachers count as one, and they can include counselors, nurses and librarians paid on the same schedule. County averages, ranks and percentages are our own arithmetic on these figures; our statewide average matches the state's published $103,552.

  1. California Department of Education, Selected Certificated Salaries and Related Statistics, 2024-25, Table I: average salary paid, raise on last year, highest starting step. The median salary is our own calculation from source 2.
  2. Panama-Buena Vista Union's report to the California Department of Education, Form J-90 database, 2024-25: salary schedule, full-time equivalents per cell, bonuses, health contributions, work days.
  3. U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #17D: Exemption for Professional Employees Under the FLSA: teachers are exempt from federal overtime pay.

How we read the data