"Now onto parochial schools. Even the notoriously liberal (sarcasm here) Hoover institute admits that Parochial schools spend MORE than public schools on a per-student basis, because the local archdiocese invariably subsidizes the tuition. Furthemore a significant number of the staff are "ordered" which means that pension, medical and other benefits are payed for by their orders. The net result is that on average Parochial schools spend MORE THAN TWICE what public schools in their local area spend."

Even if parochial schools spend twice as much money on education as each student as do the public school systems, it doesn't change the fact that a teacher will make less money in a parochial school. The TEACHERS don't get the extra money, yet they choose to teach at a private school. They do so because of less heavy handed administration, bureaucracy, and BS paperwork, while usually having a more ripe batch of students for learning.

You are opening an entire new thread when you talk about global budgets for schools (I'm actually in agreement that some of our schools are underfunded, but not necessarily the teachers). Not to mention teachers in NC get pension, health insurance and the other benefts you describe as do their private teaching counterparts. I believe most teachers who want to teach (my wife as an example) will gladly make the same, or less pay, if they didn't have to deal with so many hurdles to actually do there jobs. I am not arguing this from an outcome perspective for the students, I am aruging this from the point that she is an excellent teacher and has agreed to work somewhere else for less money.

I am not here to argue whether or not parochial schools are better or even better funded, but they are taking/keeping good teachers, and paying them less to boot.

As long as the current bueaucracy remains in place with progams like "No Child Left Behind" and teachers unions, there will be crappy teachers and high turnover. The article and topic is about keeping better teachers, and I stand by my argument that salary isn't everything.