I always find it amusing when the state of one of the counties implements generous salary increases for political appointees, rationalizing that government must pay "competitive" salaries to attract and retain good people.  But this rarely happens for rank and file workers.  While his contract should help reduce the number of teacher vacancies, there are many other factors that discourage  DOE teachers, including weak--school-level leadership, lack of support when dealing with unruly students, and--perhaps the most frustrating issue: frequently changing curriculum and expectations.