2020 has shone a light on the importance of good teachers, but many are paid less than a living...

Yup. But a lot of the problems in the public school system are caused by the public school system. My wife used to teach in the public school system, and left it for a variety of reasons. The biggest one was cronyism. School principals run their schools like little fiefdoms; if you are not an ass-kissing social climber, you get stuck with kids who no one else wants to teach. If you resist, you get bad evals. Another reason is that (here in NC) the public schools teach the standardized tests, not the basics that kids require. Teachers are paid awful salaries because the UNIONS make it that way. Teachers are also usually required to pay for classroom supplies and anything else that the school chooses not supply. So the real crux of the problem is the Teachers' Unions. If you want better pay and conditions for teachers, either regulate or eradicate Teachers Unions. All the federal money that is supposed to go to schools usually goes to the Unions.