One can imagine the smiles — or frowns — forming on the faces of longtime public school teachers who hear about initiatives to open up their profession to otherwise successful people who don’t happen to have education degrees.

To average citizens, it seems strange that an intelligent person like Bill Gates can create a Microsoft but he isn’t allowed to teach in the public schools. Teachers may smile because they have actually stood in a classroom full of hyper children or obnoxious adolescents. Or frown because they have studied child development and other factors of learning that Gates has not.

We know one thing: Half of Minnesota’s teachers are expected to retire in the next 20 years. With Minnesota — and Iowa — considered top states for public education, elected leaders, educators, businesses and parents worry about the trend. How to recruit, train and maintain an excellent teaching corps is an open question.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, proposes tough requirements for college students thinking about becoming teachers, including higher scores on teacher certification tests. He also wants schools to do more to link teacher pay to teacher quality, by pegging raises to student achievement on tests.

Democrat Mindy Greiling, chairwoman of the House education committee, has her own priority: more school funding. In fact, she is probably tired of hearing herself talk about it.

We can appreciate what both of these leaders are trying to say.

Like Pawlenty, we want to see high standards for teachers. At the same time, there should be pilot programs for outsiders to enter classrooms and offer their insights. Letting in a Bill Gates to teach computer science could not only be beneficial, it could save money. Local professionals might elect to spend an hour or two per day teaching at a flat rate that requires no benefits.

This could open up more funding for other school needs, including full-time staffing. Like Greiling, we understand the school finance issue. But Greiling isn’t being economical. If she wants a massive infusion of cash into schools, she and her Democratic colleagues, who control the Legislature, need to prioritize. Find the money in the state budget by trimming. Don’t expect taxpayers to bear all the burdens.

— Fairmont Sentinel, Sept. 26