re: It's way past time to overhaul our education system

Teacher pay depends greatly on the state. I can't say whether they are underpaid here in Alabama, but they haven't gotten a raise in 4 or 5 years, and actually got a pay cut a couple of years ago when they restructured their retirement plan. They're a favorite whipping boy of the Republicans in this state, which is somewhat understandable as the teacher's union(AEA) pretty much controlled state politics for years through the Democratic party.

I think with a Master's the median is around $50k, which is decent money in Alabama. The benefits are pretty top notch though.