pay teachers more?

Tom Coburn thinks so. What to think?

 

Paying science, math and special ed teachers more would probably be a net improvement (to alleviate the persistent shortages caused by the current approach to compensation), but teacher cartels don't want this.

It's generally not a high priority for teachers to be paid more. This is obvious since they are so passionate about having the government as a primary employer with tremendous monopoly power over them-- as their cartel wars against the charters and vouchers that would make their labor markets more competitive.

 

It's not at all clear that paying (all) teachers more would be a net improvement. Murray makes this point thru a thought experiment in his great book "In Pursuit of Happiness and Good Govt": if you pay teachers too much, you attract people to the profession for the wrong reasons. At the margin, who do you want teaching: those in it for the money or those who love to teach?