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You need to look more closely at the numbers... 1st year Public school teachers in Orange County CA make between $35K and $42K, private school teachers around here make about $30K. When you subtract the $3K to $5K EACH public school teacher has to spend on supplies each year because "there's no money" in the public schools, the salaries are almost the same. Put another way, if there are 30 kids in a class and we're spending $8K per kid per year, we should be able to easily afford $50K per year for great teachers.

The question is, where does the other $200K per year per classroom go! ($240K - $40K salary) The only answer is that governments just don't know how to deliver services like education and the ONLY answer is get them out of the business. The only answer is vouchers for every K through 12th grade student. Could you imagine what would happen if we unleashed the private sector on this problem...!

Put another way, if there are 30 kids in a class and we're spending $8K per kid per year, we should be able to easily afford $50K per year for great teachers.

Yes, but there's a point where the lure of higher pay just won't do the trick. We all know there are schools out there where no teacher in his right mind-- esp. a quality teacher-- wouldn't teach, even if offered $200K a year.

I, for one, am perfectly willing to bet decent dollars that 75%+ of the public school teachers would do a very good job and be happy as clams with an arrangement similar to the one in the Catholic schools.

The bureaucrats, the State mandates, and the general silliness that public schools throw money away on is just mind-boggling, and the faculty doesn't like it one bit...