To get a better look at the real pay, benefits should also be taken into account. Any government job should be compared to a similar skill-level private sector

To get a better look at the real pay, benefits should also be taken into account. Any government job should be compared to a similar skill-level private sector job, again pay plus benefits. When it comes to schools, I don't think you can talk about pay or costs without also focusing on the administration. It is a system. Requiring a part of funding to go to teacher salaries would allow upping just that part of the equation, if need be. If this requirement already exists, and pay plus benefits are poor, then something higher up the food chain is broken and should be what is focused on.