Overall, should teacher salaries in the US be increased?

[DC Al Fine]

Nova Scotian teachers start at about $50 000 and cap out around $80 000 plus generous benefits. That's a bit much in my mind, but its in the ballpark of what American teachers should be paid. I was quite surprised to hear what American teachers make.

I'm not sure why people think teachers should make doctor wages though. I mean, the lady who taught me in 4th grade was a smart dedicated woman, but I just don't see her services being worth $120k.

[DC Al Fine]

I don't think it makes sense to pay teachers more on average.

But, you have to factor in the whole picture.  If someone just has a bachelor's degree, they get the summer off and a large amount of vacation time, pretty normal and decent hours, they get good benefits and tenure, that all factors in.  So, it's really a range.  For a teacher in South Dakota fresh out of school, $40k might be perfectly reasonable.  For an experienced teacher in New Jersey who has a masters in chemistry, is on a professional development committee and coaches football, $100k might be reasonable.  But, this idea that we should increase all teacher salaries by 50%, that's bonkers.

I agree with this. The other thing to consider is the substantial pension advantage teachers enjoy over similarly paid private sector workers. The rule of thumb we use in the accounting profession is that a defined benefit pension plan is worth roughly 20% of base compensation. So a teacher making 40k is really making something like $48k.

What are teachers' health insurance plans like? Are they significantly better than the private sector? That too might make for a higher total compensation package.