"Rage against the drying-up of the government teat"

Teachers, you're on the path journalists have already trod.
Instapundit's thoughts on the "lower education bubble" got me thinking. How do you deal with being in an important position when the funding source dries up?
For journalists, the internet has changed the game - and hurt the former professionals. The funding source - classified ads - has dried up while easier access to publishing lowered the bar to anybody to write.
The more writers, the less the public has to pay. Good for the public, bad for the professionals.
Like journalists, teachers have an important corporate spot in the world.
Individually? Not so much.
Parents teach their kids for free. And how much added value does the individual teacher provide? If lesson plans are mandated by the state - to be the same to pass standardized tests - are teachers just "do you want fries with that?" people with Master's degrees?
Get the standardized lesson plan off the web, get your kids to pass them and see which costs less. It's coming quickly to the college level, and probably quicker than we think to the secondary level.
Yes, we'll need highly paid professionals to create and maintain the lesson plan. But fewer of them will be able to cover more of the nation. Just like we're using fewer paid journalists.
It's better for a country where the funding source - tax money - is drying up. Those used to better days of better pay had better adapt.