I think the argument is that higher salaries would attract better candidates into the field. The thing is, they assume higher salaries should include them...while they’re basically admitting that they’re not the brightest.
Teachers are, of course, very important. I know a number of them (friends/family), all good people, but few have any idea what private industry is really like. I hear them complain all the time. Yet they get “snow days”, the entire summer, along with many other holidays. Their benefits are very good. They assume the workload is “really tough” without having anything to compare against. By the time it is all weighed up, their salaries are actually very good.
One of them, not that bright, is now considering getting a “masters” degree. If “successful” I’ll lose all faith in standards.
I respect their importance and most are very passionate about teaching, it’s just that the respect is often not mutual. The number of times I’ve had a teacher talk down to me (as “just” a parent)...very annoying.
In college, the kids in College of Education were NOTORIOUSLY the dumbest!
I could say more but you get it.
Also, it was no point getting your degree in Education if you were not ‘connected’ in the school system. You wouldn’t get hired unless you left the area.