Eliminating Bad Teachers in Education

Bad teachers' reputations and antics tarnish the education system that hardworking and intelligent people devote their lives to building. They stand at the front of a classroom, everyday. We all know the ones who fall asleep in class, assign busywork and never grade it or read straight from the textbook. The generally lackadaisical ones may be the most frustrating: why did they become teachers? Do they dislike children? Why don't they find new jobs? Ah, that's the question the public has about bad teachers. Answering why bad teachers don't pack their filing cabinets and binders away for good is easy: it is because of money.
Teachers are not paid as other comparable professionals. In the past, part of the reasoning for this was because teachers' employee benefits offset their small paychecks. Now, health benefits are less because health care costs grew. Retirement plans are weakening as well. States are buckling from pension plans and many states have unfunded retirement systems. Additionally, many states prohibit 'double dipping' where teachers collect social security benefits as well as teachers' pensions.
So, the situation is easy to read. Teachers may think that although their paychecks are undesirable, their states will not let them down concerning their pension benefits. Once a teacher invests years and money in a retirement plan, she may not want to leave. A teacher who earns less than other professionals but has promised money during retirement is unlikely to forfeit that money and start new at building retirement. This is one large reason why bad teachers stay in education.
Pension changes are coming though, which may not only help state budgets, but also provide an easy exit for disinterested teachers to leave the classroom as well.  Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey signed the Pension Reform Legislation and stated, "It is clear that our state can no longer afford a system that is rife with abuse, that promises substantial payouts with little buy-in, and that provides benefits that are wildly out of proportion with the private sector. This legislation affects the New Jersey's Teachers Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF). Bad teachers may leave education now that their pension has changed. Other states will probably follow as well.
Of course, bad teachers continue teaching for reasons that lousy doctors, factory workers, lawyers and cops stay with their jobs. They have the education and experience. They are comfortable and the job is familiar. They like their coworkers and certain aspects of the job. Unlike other professionals, bad teachers influence dozens of children every day, which is why the uproar concerning teachers is louder than it is toward other professions. Any thoughts? Is changing teacher's retirement systems a sustainable move in public education?

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