Want better teachers? Then pay them more.
We teachers are paid quite well and have excellent benefits. When teacher pay stats are presented, they usually use first or second year teacher pay. After the first few years teacher pay jumps drastically. Plus, those teaching in impoverished or urban areas can get their student loans paid off by Big Gov. The other issue is teachers who rack up insane college debt to become teachers, knowing the pay isn’t that great in the beginning. I know people who’ve attended private universities and racked up $75K or more in loans, just to make $30K a year the first few years. With summers off there’s the added benefit of another job. Don’t let teachers fool you when they scream, “I work on my lessons and classroom all summer!” They’re either lying or doing it wrong. Only a first or second year teacher can claim this.