I remember when Dallas was going to have to 'let go' nearly 300 teachers due to budget concerns - then it was discovered that DISD had more or as many admins as Houston, while 1/3 the size. Needless to say, some admins lost their jobs.
I remember another survey on how much teachers pay out of their own pockets for classroom supplies - about $2000 a year.
We had a brief time of 'merit pay' here in TX - called the career ladder - based on classroom observations. I was working with some admin people on training for observations. Each of them had a spouse working in the district - and asked - since it will benefit 'my pocket', who do you think is going to get the best evaluation?
Any suggestion for merit pay has a possible backlash. If a teacher has A students, the evaluation would be good for that teacher.
Understood... My brother is a public school teacher in Centerville, Texas....still, there must be an effective and fair method to compensate "excellent" teachers. The problem is most are not excellent and those control the union, which controls the policy.
Poor teachers in a private school get fired.