a new year

Yesterday six teachers in my building were told they do not have a job next year.  Another three are retiring.  My school of just under 50 teachers will be losing 9 of them.  10% of the staff will not be there next year.  Next year.  I don't even want to think about what next year will look like.  We're not losing students, just teachers.
I love my job.  It really is part of who I am.  I do my best for students day in and day out, and I'm not the exception.  All teachers do their best for students, but when we do our best, the school doesn't make more money.  The school's "product" doesn't make the school into a multi-million dollar company.  I am not valuable to my school like a businessman is valuable to his company.  I am valuable to my students, but they don't make the school richer.  Given the chance, schools will get rid of their more experienced teachers.  If they didn't have to follow seniority lists, my school could have let three top-paid, highly-educated, most experienced teachers go instead of six new, lower-paid teachers.  That's a no-brainer ~ but at what cost?
There are flaws in the system.  A union's job is to protect its members.  Even when the member really doesn't deserve protection.  This is wrong.  Administrators should have the ability to let poor-performing teacher go.  But how do we define poor-performing?  There are many problems with answering that question effectively.  The answer can not lie fully with test scores and popularity within the community.  Some of my best teachers were strict and not well liked, but I learned self-discipline and perseverance and, most importantly, I learned that I could achieve way more than I ever thought possible.  Some of my best teachers were kind and loving and supportive and let me know I was a valuable human being.  Students need all types of teachers in their lives; how do we quantify the student-teacher relationship?
I believe that America values teachers, but America is used to getting something for nothing.  America will spend $25/ticket to see a baseball game, but America won't pay $25/student for school fees.  America will buy their 13-year-old a $100 cell phone, but they won't vote to pay $100/year more in school taxes. 
I wish there were easy answers, but destroying the ship is not going to right it.  I will continue to be the best teacher I can be and hope to be part of the solution.