Compensation issues are never strictly rational.
What do you think it would do for morale at your favorite tech company if all salaries conformed exactly to a published table, and advancement on that table was based solely on years of service and number of Microsoft certifications earned? Rockstar or plodding clockpuncher, makes no difference: you get paid what the scale says. The company gradually attracts folks for whom this makes sense, and the whole culture becomes worshiping that table. One of the most common topics of discussion is how many years you have to retirement (highlighted in bold at the top of the table), how much you'll make in retirement, and what you'll do after retirement.
Somebody in accounting felt up the receptionist three years ago and was placed on administrative leave, but he's still collecting paychecks exactly as the table mandates. He comes in at 9, checks into an office specially prepared for misfits, leaves at 2:57 and 30 seconds, and earns 240% of what you do due to his seniority.
A friend of mine -- a Democrat whose eyes burned with missionary zeal when he talked about the responsibility we have to educate the poor -- was very disappointed with me when I abandoned my career plans as an educator, and took up with Teach for America at one of the worst schools in NYC. They broke him.
I don't say this lightly: there is a sickness of the soul in public education.
These people would do well in a lot of high-paying professions. It is also not a coincidence that the lack of good teachers is most severe in math and sciences. Even if they may choose to be a teacher out of personal desire to make positive change for a few years, most cannot stand seeing their classmates, who are sometimes less capable, earn twice or even thrice their income for decades.
In the society we live in, it is important to pay people what they are worth. Would you personally choose this noble path if it means a 50 or 60% permanent reduction of your income and an almost zero possibility of hitting it rich?
Wow. That's got to be one of the most perverse arguments to continue our tradition of treating teachers like shit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
It seems to me that the only piece missing from the current system is the ability to fire bad teachers.
I'm generally pro-union, but I believe unions do themselves a disservice by propping up bad teachers from legitimate dismissal as well as protecting good teachers from unfair treatment.
Even a weak teacher can guide a class of students through the chapters of a textbook. Sure, the kids would learn a lot more from a good teacher, but they are shaped far more by their peers. Crummy parents produce rotten kids, who slow the class down, cause disruptions and set bad examples. Furthermore, there are many talented teachers who are poor baby sitters.