13% of the nation’s 3.4 million teachers move schools or leave the profession every year

[Gator88NE]

Based on BLS data…

The median annual wage for high school teachers was $55,050 in May 2012. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $36,930, and the top 10 percent earned more than $85,690.

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/high-school-teachers.htm#tab-5

For comparison, the median annual wage in Chicago is $71,000+ a year.

I don’t think the issue is attrition (that 13% number is junk), but recruiting and developing good teachers. While additional funding could help, it’s an issue that has to be attacked from several angles. One, not often discussion item, would be better administrative management. Who your boss is matters, especially for job satisfaction. Improving job satisfaction would help with retaining and developing good teachers.