The latest evidence of that came recently in a stunning story by Tulsa World reporter Andrea Eger and an equally startling op/ed column by Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Gist.

Eger’s story showed that TPS teacher absences are growing at an alarming rate — a 63 percent jump in the past five years — making the district increasingly dependent on substitute teachers or less.

The district recorded 30,600 teacher absences last year, and 41 percent of the time TPS was unable to find any substitute available, meaning classes are combined or a series of teachers are pulled in an hour at a time during their planning periods.

That’s a fine choice for a principal: Either disrupt two classes for the price of one or keep the kids dizzy with a constant game of Who’s on First. Either way you’re doing real damage to the school day.

If you want a pretty good idea what’s up with all the missing teachers, flip over to Gist’s column. She described how a Tulsa teacher with a bachelor’s degree has to work for 17 years to earn what is considered a living wage for a parent with one child. It would take the same teacher 27 years to earn the median household income in Tulsa County.

Gist described how teachers qualify for Medicaid for their children and go to food pantries to put food on the table. They work second and third jobs. Teachers are educated, proud and hard-working, but too many of them are living paycheck to paycheck.

And remember this: Tulsa teachers are paid better than the state-mandated minimum used by some districts.

Is it surprising that the state started the school year 1,000 teachers short of the number needed? Is it surprising that schools in Arkansas and Texas treat Oklahoma like a minor league farm club, where they can pick up players whenever they’re needed? Is it surprising that we’re not getting the results we want from our school system?

There is no substitute for a good teacher. And if you want good teachers, there is no substitute for a fair wage and a little respect.