Golden Valley Unified School District teacher salaries
Golden Valley Unified School District (GVUSD) is a unified school district in Madera County, with its district office in Madera. A teacher with a full credential starts at $57,037. The largest group (36%) is on the BA+75 column, which climbs to $102,617 by step 20.
What is the average teacher salary at Golden Valley Unified?
Lowest
$53,680
BA EMERG/ INTERN before a full credential, step 1
Average salary on the teacher schedule1
$77,753
- $6,351 below Madera County average
- $25,799 below California average
Highest
$102,617
BA+75 with a credential, step 20
Golden Valley Unified average
Madera County average$84,104
California average$103,552above the highest salary here
- Full-time equivalents on the schedule
- 146
- Starting salary
- $57,037
- BA+29 with a credential, step 1
- Median salary
- $73,545
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Average pay rank in California
- 664th of 828 reporting
- of 828 reporting
Golden Valley Unified's full salary schedule, 2024-252
Shading shows where teachers actually sit. 29% of Golden Valley Unified's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.
| Step | BA+29 | BA+30 | BA+45 | BA+60 | BA+75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
| 6 | |||||
| 7 | |||||
| 8 | |||||
| 9 | |||||
| 10 | |||||
| 11 | |||||
| 12 | |||||
| 13 | |||||
| 14 | |||||
| 15 | |||||
| 16 | |||||
| 17 | |||||
| 18 | |||||
| 19 | |||||
| 20 |
Only BA+60, BA+75 continue past step 11.
| Step | BA EMERG/ INTERN |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 |
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+
- 24
What BA+98, steps and credentials mean at Golden Valley Unified
Two things place a teacher on Golden Valley Unified's grid: years of service (the step) and college units since the bachelor's degree (the column). How we read the schedules.
- Step
- One per year of service; step 5 on Golden Valley Unified's BA+29 column pays $64,944. Experienced teachers joining Golden Valley Unified can be placed as high as step 20.
- Column, such as BA+98
- A bachelor's plus 98 semester units since. Golden Valley Unified's columns run from BA+29 to BA+75, 5 in all.
- Credentialed
- Holds a full California teaching credential. Golden Valley Unified's credentialed columns start at $57,037.
- Without full credential
- Golden Valley Unified pays teachers without a full credential on separate columns, starting at $53,680.
How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Golden Valley Unified?
On the BA+75 column, pay passes $100,000 at step 18, with $100,475. Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.
$82,693
a year at step 10. This column tops out at $102,617 on step 20.
Does Golden Valley 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
Golden Valley Unified's average of $77,753 is below the middle California district's $94,573.
All 828 reporting districts in California
Golden Valley Unified ranks 664th of 828.
Middle district: $94,573
The 9 reporting districts in Madera County
Golden Valley Unified ranks 5th of 9, above the middle district.
Middle district: $77,753
Each bar counts the districts whose average salary falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the median district.
Bonuses, health cover and work days at Golden Valley 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 $13,000paid by the district each year
- Master's degree bonus$1,20042 full-time equivalents eligible
- Doctorate bonus$1,750
- Bilingual teaching bonusNot reported
- National Board Certification bonusNot reported
- Special education bonusNot reported
- Summer school pay$35 an hour
- Work days a year183 days180 of them with students
- Schedule raise on last year2%
- Highest starting step for experienced hiresStep 20
Questions about teacher pay at Golden Valley Unified
How much do Golden Valley Unified teachers make?
The average salary on Golden Valley Unified's teacher schedule is $77,753 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $53,680 (BA EMERG/ INTERN before a full credential, step 1) to $102,617 (BA+75 with a credential, step 20).
What does a new teacher earn at Golden Valley Unified?
A new teacher with a full credential starts at $57,037 (BA+29 column, step 1). Teachers without a full credential start lower, at $53,680. Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 20.
How long does it take to reach the top of the Golden Valley Unified pay scale?
On the BA+75 column, where 36% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 20, where it reaches $102,617. Steps go up with years of service.
Does a master's degree raise pay at Golden Valley Unified?
Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Golden Valley Unified reports a master's bonus of $1,200 on top. For a doctorate it reports $1,750.
Is Golden Valley Unified teacher pay high for California?
Golden Valley Unified's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 664th of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 5th of 9 in Madera County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $84,104 in Madera County.
Keep exploring teacher pay in Madera County
- Compare all 9 Madera County districtsStarting, average and top pay side by side, sortable
- Highest teacher salaries in CaliforniaThe top 25 districts by average, starting pay and top of the scale
- All public jobs in Madera CountyPolice, firefighters, 911 dispatchers and more in the county
- Chowchilla Union High$95,535 average salary on the schedule
- Madera County Superintendent of Schools$92,855 average salary on the schedule
- Madera Unified$85,524 average salary on the schedule
- Yosemite Unified$77,327 average salary on the schedule
- Bass Lake Joint Union Elementary$76,254 average salary on the schedule
- Chawanakee Unified$69,696 average salary on the schedule
Sources for the Golden Valley 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.
- Golden Valley 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.