Star power

So what happens when you bust the teachers' union, slash everyone's pension, and slice your school system up into a million semi-autonomous quasi-privatized edu-preneurial laboratories?  The edu-preneurs get to take more of the money home, is what happens.

At least 63 employees of public charter schools in New Orleans made more than $100,000 in 2013-14, according to federal tax forms for the most recent year with comprehensive numbers. Four employees were paid more than $200,000.

The "employees" in question are the executives, of course. Teachers still make on average something like $40,000-50,000 according to this article. Not to mention that's mostly minus the sort of job security and retirement benefits they once enjoyed as part of their compensation.

But that's what happens when everyone is empowered to play the market. A lot of folks may lose but, then, some stars end up winners.

"With charters, it's what the market can bear," said Brian Riedlinger, director of the School Leadership Center (Kathy Riedlinger is his former wife). Experienced, well-liked and successful leaders might be able to ask for a lot, "like NFL free agents."

A few supertars stars get rich  off of taxpayer dollars while using the brains of young people as fodder. So, yeah, it sort of is like the NFL when you put it that way.