Teacher, Unions, and Budget

With all the hubbub about breaking unions as the way to fiscal balance, and teacher unions in particular; with notions that these unions are protecting the weaker members; movement to eliminate the last in first out protection for long term employees;  I am glad that there are teachers' unions.
Good teachers are also protected by unions, and I would say there are more good ones than bad ones. Many good teachers stay for years in the same school district   because they were rightly evaluated and found to be competent and effective and granted tenure. They continue to grow and improve with age. They have built up a wealth of understanding about what makes kids tick. They have developed and continue to develop methods that help students learn. These teachers are often in the middle or near the top of the pay scale.
Without protection, they could be eliminated, replaced with new teachers, and the cost of education plummets, until these new teachers get up onto the pay scale in a couple of years, and they in turn could also be fired. The students would have been denied the expertise of the seasoned teachers, and would be in the hands of the untested, inexperienced group.
Administrators seem to indicate that tenure is unbreakable, and so incompetent teachers cannot be fired. That is not true. It can be done if the administrators make the case and follow the procedures. Is it easy, no. Is it possible yes. Perhaps instead of berating teachers and their unions, it would behoove the people in charge of education to do their jobs as they evaluate, grant tenure, set standards, and exercise other responsibilities in helping our students to learn. 
Add to the list on which everyone is evaluated, administrators, board members, teachers, students- did he or she encourage and support or try new ways to teach and to learn. That is the bottom line we should be looking for in our schools.