Southern Kern Unified School District teacher salaries
Southern Kern Unified School District is a unified school district in Kern County, with its district office in Rosamond. Pay starts at $54,770 on the first step. The largest group (49%) is on the BA+75 OR MA+30 column, which climbs to $115,474 by step 26.
Lowest
$54,770
BA, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$89,148
- $1,388 below Kern County average
- $14,404 below California average
Highest
$115,474
BA+75 OR MA+30, step 26
Southern Kern Unified average
Kern County average$90,536
California average$103,552
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 196
- Starting salary
- $54,770
- BA, step 1
- Median salary
- $89,433
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 503rd of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Does Southern Kern Unified 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
Southern Kern Unified's average of $89,148 is below the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Southern Kern Unified ranks 503rd of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 37 reporting districts in Kern County
Southern Kern Unified ranks 14th of 37, above the middle district.
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 Southern Kern Unified's BA column pays $65,818. Experienced teachers joining Southern Kern Unified can be placed as high as step 26.
- 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. Southern Kern Unified's columns run from BA to BA+75 OR MA+30, 6 in all.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Southern Kern Unified?
Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$95,818
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $115,474 on step 26.
Southern Kern Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 22% of Southern Kern Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA | BA+15 | BA+30 | BA+45 OR MA | BA+60 OR MA+15 | BA+75 OR MA+30 |
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| 26 |
Only BA+75 OR MA+30 continues past step 13.
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.
- 5+
- 16
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Southern Kern Unified
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.
- Health insurance, family planUp to $19,000paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonus$2,00099 full-time equivalents eligible
- Doctorate bonusNot reported
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonus$2,500
- Special education bonus$3,00034 full-time equivalents eligible
- Summer school payNot reported
- Work days a year183 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year2.5%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 26
Questions about teacher pay at Southern Kern Unified
How much do Southern Kern Unified teachers make?
The average salary on Southern Kern Unified's teacher schedule is $89,148 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $54,770 (BA, step 1) to $115,474 (BA+75 OR MA+30, step 26).
What does a new teacher earn at Southern Kern Unified?
The schedule starts at $54,770 (BA, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 26.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Southern Kern Unified pay scale?
On the BA+75 OR MA+30 column, where 49% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 26, where it reaches $115,474. Steps go up with years of service.
Does a master's degree raise pay at Southern Kern Unified?
Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Southern Kern Unified reports a master's bonus of $2,000 on top.
Is Southern Kern Unified teacher pay high for California?
Southern Kern Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 503rd of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 14th 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 Southern Kern Unified 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.
- 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.
- Southern Kern Unified'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.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #17D: Exemption for Professional Employees Under the FLSA: teachers are exempt from federal overtime pay.