I agree with you. In the district I live in, new teachers start at $40K for a short work year (approx. 190 days) and good benefits. I think that is very generous for a young adult right out of college.
One of our local newspapers publishes the names, titles, and salaries of all city, county, and school district employees who earn over $60,000 per year. (Base salary only, not bonuses, benefits, hiring incentives, etc.)
Many of the listed school district employees are teachers. Some earn six figures. And this is Charlotte, North Carolina, not San Francisco or Manhattan.
Yea, five years of college shouldn’t get much.