They should be paid enough to attract highly skilled workers to that job

Similar to other professionals with that same amount of education.

It depends on where they live and the standard of living in their area. It also depends on their educational level and their time in service and their academic ratings. Unfortunately, education is falling short everywhere because the old system of funding did not take exponential population growth into consideration. My late partner was a master educator at the public elementary level. She got her masters and made a decent salary but it did not compare to other fields at her skill and education level. However, there were also perks (vacation, health care, retirement, job satisfaction) which also have a huge value.

At least as much as a professional basketball player..

Teachers should make as much as they can. How much should a brick layer make?

Teachers should be like rockstars, they're responsible for our future, we need show appreciation

I'm puzzled then, at why these folks go into teaching. Here in Ohio, teachers are paid from property taxes. And their salaries are a matter of public record. So it should be no shock to anyone thinking of becoming a teacher as to what they are going to be paid.

With the shit taught in schools? That might be more a symptom of the system and core curriculum and not teachers, but even if we ignore that, the U.S. doesn't have a great school system. We rank something like 27th in the world. This question needs to consider too many components to give a general answer to the question. Kids seem to be taught how to pass tests and nothing else. I remember a post from yesterday that said they are thinking about dropping a failing grade to 39. They seem to want to artificially climb the world rankings by making the grading easier and not actually teaching these kids. They are taught to be good consumers and good workers and not necessarily thinkers. What do we base the quality of the system on? How many teachers actually teach and actually give a crap? Those are just a couple of the many components that I think the U.S. needs to look at and evaluate before this question can be answered with quality.

There are too many factors involved to give just one number. Regardless, we live in a time where education itself is considered the enemy by many an imbecile. That in itself speaks volumes of how we need teachers more than ever.

$70,000 per year on average. They should certainly make more than politicians.

The answer to the OP's question is very simple economics 101... whatever the market will bear. If you produce a product of low value, than compensation will reflect accordingly.

The deeper question that should be addressed is, why do our societies and cultures find so little value in education? The multitude of answers to that question could fill many threads. For an example of the economics of this situation look no further than an educational institution's athletics program. They rarely run into funding issues, and in fact usually help keep other departments afloat with their excesses. Once again that is market forces at work showing where our values lie. In my opinion, until our values change on this issue I expect that teachers will always be "underpaid".

They should try teaching first, then we can talk salary.

In any given area, qualified teachers' pay should be on a par with that of registered nurses.

I think teachers should be one of the highest earners in the society along with soldiers and health professionals.

I would think it depends on the cost of living in the state. For the amount of training and continuing education required, teachers should make as much as the average skilled profession in the state. So for Arkansas, that would be about $45-50,000 starting salary. Those with a Master's should make more. As it stands, most K-12 schools start their teachers out at $30-35,000. IMO, higher salaries will attract "better" people to go into teaching as a profession. There would be more competition for teaching jobs, which means schools could be picky about the quality of teachers they hire.

They have a min 4 years of higher education. Their yearly salary should reflect that. Then they have to be tested for teacher credentials more pay because do you want your children being taught by someone who feels they are not paid their worth. Teachers are those teaching our kids to learning about life out side of the home.

It should be high enough to make it a very competitive field. Our best minds should be working to get into the teaching profession. The less you pay, the lower quality people you will get to teach our youth, and if you look at the comments on an article on say climate change on Facebook, you'll see what's happening in our country. I have no doubt that this country can go backward very quickly, if we don't have a decent system in place to educate our children.
Teaching is one of our most important professions, and it should be treated that way.

I have no clue. I’ll go with, whatever the market will bear.

Though, seeing as you asked for a specific number, how about $40k to $100k. There are too many variables and ‘teacher’ is too vague to give an exact number.

Lots more than they are getting. You and teachers are responsible for this child's welfare.

In UK its considered terribly bad form to discuss salary.

It's not just about what they make but in many areas of the country, teachers are coming out of their own pockets for supplies and teaching aids for their students.

In an effort to piss off all you sports fans, I believe that a teacher should make more than ANY professional athlete. Shit they are just playing a game.

I think your question is a great one. This is a very difficult thing to answer.
I'd re-phrase your question as:
How much does my community need to spend on our public education system to produce well educated graduates of our high schools?

That's actually a very difficult question for one simple reason....if you make one dollar then you will always want one more. It will never be enough money wise. On the other hand, teaching should be a privilege for those who feel the calling, then money takes a different perspective. I think we all at least can agree that no one would make a fortune by just teaching, even when it is a fundamentally important job for society.

I think the best solution for the whole problem of income equality among ALL Americans especially considering the current rise of automation is a guaranteed income first to establish a baseline for everyone to survive on. From there specific jobs can be paid based on market forces etc. In the case of teachers I think they should at least be guaranteed the median income based on their location. I also think that income should be spread through out the year so they in the summer continue to draw a salary. Of course I also think we should end the huge summer vacation tradition in America and extend the school year throughout the year but add more week to two week vacations. Especially in urban areas. I find the idea in America of noble suffering to be puritan BS. The fact that we basically take advantage of those among us who serve whether they be teachers, nurses, service industry workers while we are fine spending billions on pointless military bloat (How many times do we need to be able to destroy the world with nukes before we have enough?) is beyond me. My mom was a teacher for 40+ years before she retired and NEVER made above the median income even though she shaped generations of young people with a love of history and strong background in critical thinking. The fact that she was never complained does not discount the injustice of her effort versus the excess of the rich and those who make millions playing a game whether on the field or in the board room or playing the stock market.