Yes it seems rather obvious that if you pay teachers more you'll probably get better ones. We seem to understand that in every other area of the economy. Perhaps if there was less of a constant drumbeat about how teachers were all history's greatest monsters some better people might be attracted into the profession, also, too.
One things which confuses me greatly is when people with actual school aged children in public schools bitch about teacher salaries. I don't mean complaining about an actual bad teacher, complaining about specifics. I'm talking about the general 'teachers get paid too much' bitching that people to do.
They're looking after your children 7 hours per day 180 days per year. You don't want them to be paid much? Lower taxes for me, then.