re: Give teachers a raise....Nah.

The current school day and system is obsolete. It doesnt serve the children, it doesn't serve the parents, nor does it serve the teachers though they are the largest barrier to implementing real change.
 
I would advocate for giving teachers a sizable raise (something like 20-30%) if we changed to a year round model and added an extra 1 hour to the school day that starts a half hour later. The extra time would be utilized by both the teachers and student to remove some of the rushed feeling of the day and year. This allows for better teaching in class while not bringing work home both for students and teachers.

A good book on the subject is "Time to Learn" by Christopher Gabrieli and Warren Goldstein.