Tennessee Code Title 49. Education § 49-5-402

(a) After the election of teachers, the director of schools shall establish the salary rating of each person employed as teacher or principal-teacher, and also the director of schools and other school personnel employed on a system-wide basis in the public schools, using for this purpose the established training and experience of the school personnel and the respective state salary schedule for the school year, as prescribed by the state board of education and approved by the commissioner of education.

(b) The salary rating and other information as called for on forms prescribed by the commissioner shall be filed with the commissioner on or before December 1 of the school year for which the personnel are elected.

(c) The salary ratings of principal-teachers, teachers and the director of schools and other personnel employed on a system-wide basis shall be determined on the basis of information available in the office of the commissioner on December 1 of the current school year.  In the event there is no information available in the office of the commissioner on December 1 of the current year on which to rate any teacher, principal-teacher, director of schools or other school personnel employed on a system-wide basis, the salary rating of the teacher, principal-teacher, director of schools or other personnel employed on a system-wide basis shall be the minimum salary as provided by the applicable state salary schedule.

(d) Where a high school counselor is required to serve more than one (1) school, the school counselor shall, in addition to regular salary, be reimbursed at the rate of fifteen cents (15¢) per mile for the expense of traveling between schools;  provided, that this subsection (d) shall apply only to counties with a population, according to the 1970 federal census or any subsequent federal census, of not more than twenty-three thousand three hundred (23,300) nor less than twenty-three thousand six hundred (23,600).

(e) Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, any principal-teacher, teacher, director of schools, or other school personnel employed on a system-wide basis who completes additional academic training after the beginning of a school year but prior to January 1 of that school year, that would qualify the employee for a higher salary rating, shall be eligible to have the employee's salary rating redetermined as of January 1 of the school year.  To receive the adjustment in salary rating, the employee shall give notice in writing of the employee's intention to complete academic training that may qualify the employee for a higher salary rating after the beginning of the school year immediately subsequent to the date of the notice and prior to January 1 of such school year.  The written notice shall be given to the director of schools and to the chair of the local board of education prior to submission of the LEA's budget to the local legislative body pursuant to § 49-2-203(a)(10).  After completing the academic training, the employee shall provide, by February 1 of the school year, all documentation, as required by the LEA and the commissioner, necessary to establish the completion of the training.  The increased salary rating and other information, as called for on forms prescribed by the commissioner, shall be filed with the commissioner by February 15 of the school year.

(f) Military personnel who have served as junior reserve officers' training corps (JROTC) instructors in accordance with § 49-5-108(c)(4) for not less than two (2) years and who currently teach in subject areas other than JROTC or military science, for which they are properly licensed, shall be credited with their years of experience in teaching JROTC or military science for the purpose of determining salary ratings.