Demand is a bit strong lmao but ya it really depends. Colleague of mine came from teaching finance at a university as an adjunct for years and has a masters. He decided to move into the high school setting, and very much regrets it. It's very sad as well he loves teaching, kids love him, and is good at what he does but despite all that admin hires him to teach even more sections than core curriculum and started him at step 1 on the salary guide since it was his first year teaching high school despite a decade of teaching in universities. Our other Colleague who is a bumbling bitchy idiot teaches the easiest sections, complains about it all the time because they are freshmen, and yet she makes more than the rest of us despite it's her first year (not fresh out of college either she's in her mid 40s teacher by alt route) teaching ever! The system is so fucked up its laughable.

Not in a union state she can't; salaries are determined by collective bargaining agreements, there is no individual salary negotiations. Nearly every district will give a slight stipend for having a MA degree, but she can't just waltz in and negotiate a different salary compared to another teacher with the same years and qualifications. That would defeat the entire purpose of having a union.