The unions are easy scapegoats, but as you point out, there is a reason they are what they are. Let's also not forget that the good old days of American school

The unions are easy scapegoats, but as you point out, there is a reason they are what they are. Let's also not forget that the good old days of American schooling depended on a society where slightly over half the population had severely limited opportunities in the workforce. Even with the unions, teachers wages were depressed, and the entire profession devalued because other careers and jobs weren't open to women.