“And combat pay for having to deal with fundamentalists who think religious belief trumps scientific evidence.”
No, more like combat pay for lazy parents and people that make unfounded snarky remarks.
Despite what a lot of people think, science teachers teach just that science.
I would like to see science teachers teach even more science and less nonsense.
And the anti-science religious fundamentalism that is being pushed in some areas has no role in science education.
Look up the decline in Arab science--there were many centuries when learning was largely restricted to Arab lands; it certainly wasn't in Europe. Look up why that Arab science and learning declined.