[Whit]

      I dunno, Russ. I'd say pay is certainly part of the problem in that nobody is going to go into the field if money is important to them. This in turn gives you a much smaller pool of people to draw from. Keeping this in mind how do you get rid of the incompetent teachers when you can't fill their job position?
      This is a nation wide condition. There is some variation due to specific location, but it's pretty well recognized as being a general problem.
      More importantly, that's got to be a tough job. You vs. 20+ kids? Screw that. Even more so when those "kids" are nearly full grown and have a history of violent behavior. Teacher don't get enough respect for the work they do.