They need higher standards for teachers AND higher pay to compensate those higher standards.
They need to reduce the mandatory weekly meetings that equate with mandatory overtime, which reduces the value of their "per hour" wage significantly. Teachers don't only work during the open school hours. They are required to maintain their certifications - which means continuing education at their own expense - they're not reimbursed for that. It also means they're often attending classes during the summer. They can sometimes spend hours correcting papers while they're home after school which again - cuts into the value of that "hourly wage." The last two weeks before school starts every year is time spent gathering supplies that they know their classrooms will need, that the school board has decided not to provide. Things as simple as colored paper to write the names of students on the bulletin board, magic markers in different colors and sizes, chalk or whiteboard markers, erasers, etc. etc.
That all comes out of the teacher's pocket, again - cutting the actual value of their "hourly" wage.
When all is said and done, because of budget cuts and cuts of provisions at the classroom level, teacher pay is nothing short of abysmal.
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