You can be certain that a hard look is being taken at the cost and efficiency of operating a public education system, in both Canada and the United States.
Staying within Canada, there has been a substantial growth in charter, independent and private schools. All these schooling alternates receive public funding and the rate of government funding directed to these schools has similarly grown while funding as stalled and in most cases decreased towards public school systems.
Would you care to guess why governments and the public willingly support these schools?
Canada Post and CBC have become unaffordable in terms of costs and benefit in the eyes of government and the public. CBC has 13 unions and associations while Canada Post has one. Pubic Teachers have one as well.
There are those that feel $80K is not an impressive wage. What these people might not realize is that a teacher earns this $80K for working 186 instructional days. That equates to 6 months of work. Teacher benefit costs can, in cases** equal salary cost, making the total expenditure for this one teacher not just $80K but rather a great deal more (>$125K), for these 6 months of teaching.
Governments are indicating that we cannot afford the public school system arrangement. Teacher salaries and benefits presently constitute about 90% (VSB = 92%) of total public school district budgetary expenditures.
*One illustration to identify only one benefit cost factor…
**Teacher uses allocated sick days (1.5/month) each and every month (15 days/year). These are paid leaves that require the hiring of a substitute teacher (TOC). There are also compassionate/medical days. All such benefits are front-loaded, which means available at commencement of school year.