Flee Wisconsin For the Best Possible Teaching Career

Graduating with a teaching degree? 

Leaving Wisconsin immediately is the smartest financial decision you will make in your life. 

Teaching in Minnesota versus Wisconsin will triple your career earnings in urban or suburban districts, and more than quadruple career earnings teaching in rural districts. Once a great place to live and teach, thanks to 15 years of Republican defunding of public schools, Wisconsin is one of the worst states in America to build a teaching career. 

Though Wisconsin has scores of teaching jobs available and school districts clammoring to hire fresh graduates like you,  we strongly encourage you to make the right decision for your future by first searching for jobs in Minnesota, and only "settle" for a Wisconsin job if the Minnesota search doesn't work out. 

Especially for teachers (UW Platteville) who want to teach in a small rural community, Minnesota rural teaching careers are light years ahead of the poverty level dead end jobs offered by 99% of rural Wisconsin districts. 

 In 98% of Wisconsin school districts, Superintendents and other administrators are the top priority for scarce salary dollars. Teachers get a few scraps that are left after all other spending priorities are filled. In Minnesota, teachers and administrators are treated equally when raises are disbursed.  

Especially in rural Wisconsin, many school districts have no published salary system. Teacher raises are parsed out by administrators based on no identified criteria.This leads to wildly different salaries for teachers with the same qualifications and experience. All salaries are public so everyone knows what everyone else is earning. 

 In order to attract new hires, many Wisconsin rural districts offer starting salaries that are $4,000-$9,000 higher that salaries earned by teachers who have worked there for up to 10 years. Graduates who unknowingly accept jobs in these districts face a torrent of hostility from experienced co-workers that earn far less than the new hires. New hires frequently earn $5,000 or more salary than their "Mentor" teacher! Every year you stay, your salary falls behind the salaries paid to lure "new hires" into signing a contract. Most of these districts have 60-80% turnover over 5 years.

Many graduates who accept teaching jobs in the worst Wisconsin districts find their first year of teaching to be hellacious. In many high turnover rural districts, special education teachers have it even worse as they may be the only licensed SPED teacher in the school. Wisconsin is #1 in America for the number of non-certified, even non-degreed emergency licensed teachers. Many first year SPED teachers find that they are responsible for an entire school's IEP caseload; that's 50-75 or more IEP's to write on EVENINGS & WEEKENDS!  All for $46,000 yearly salary that will take 10 years to get to $50,000. After 10 years in a Minnesota rural district, you will be making $60,000-$70,000.    

We originally created this website with the goal of helping young teachers find the best districts in Wisconsin. In 2026, after 15 years of Republican defunding of over 5 billion dollars in state aid to Wisconsin public schools, (the largest cuts to public schools in America), there are less than 20 school districts in Wisconsin (out of 420 public school districts) that we would recommend as a good place to work. Since 2011, Wisconsin Republicans in the state legislature have decimated state aid to public schools, driving Wisconsin's once #1 Act scores to 29th in America and falling every year. 

In 2026, the 15 year "War on Public Schools" and "War on Teachers" by a gerrymandered Republican Dictatorship has resulted in over 95% of Wisconsin school districts becoming horrid places to teach. Wisconsin teacher salaries are $10,000 to $50,000 lower at every level of education and experience in comparison to Minnesota & Illinois teachers. Wisconsin teachers face terrible health insurance with high premiums, high deductibles, and maximum out of pocket levels 10 times the levels in Minnesota.  

Especially in rural areas, annual teacher salaries barely eclipse $46,000, forcing teachers to work one or more $7.25/hour minimum wage job or waitress for $2.13/hour plus the 50 cent or $1.00 "tips" common in rural Wisconsin in order to survive. Wisconsin has the lowest minimum wage in the Midwest, and the lowest average teacher salary as well.

Since 2011, Wisconsin Republicans have slashed state funding for public schools by the largest amount in America. Before Republicans destroyed quality public education in Wisconsin, Wisconsin ranked about 25th in America in state aid to public schools.  

Thanks to the Republican Cabal that has spent the past 15 years slashing state aid to public schools, Wisconsin now ranks:

• 44th in America in Funding for Public Schools (lowest in the Midwest)
• 43rd in America for Starting Teacher Salaries  (lowest in the Midwest)
• 35th in America for Average Teacher Salary (lowest in the Midwest)  

Our team has spent hundreds of hours researching how every Wisconsin school district has treated it's teachers AND the Superintendent since Republicans began slashing state funding for public schools. This website contains the results of our work. We hope you use the information on this website to find the best possible district to work in, whether it is a Wisconsin district or one of the many Minnesota and Illinois districts actively recruiting Wisconsin teachers seeking better salaries, benefits, and improved working conditions. 

 We also have a section listing Average Teacher Salaries for every Minnesota school district. Though a few years old, teacher salaries in every Minnesota district were far higher in 2023 than Wisconsin average teaching salaries are today. That's how low Wisconsin teacher salaries are in comparison to our neighboring states that value quality public education.

Nearly ALL currently certified teachers with a Wisconsin teaching license will be able to immediately obtain either a comparable Minnesota or Illinois teaching license. Minnesota and Illinois districts will help their Wisconsin hires obtain their new license. 

 Thanks to Republican defunding of Wisconsin's public schools, local property taxes have soared. Republicans have responded by blaming high teacher salaries for property tax increases. In Republican Wisconsin, it is always the teachers' fault.  Nearly every school district in Wisconsin is laying off teachers EVERY YEAR due to falling enrollment and Republican defunding of public schools. 

 Republicans also divert nearly 1 BILLION dollars of state tax revenues to finance a "separate but unequal" voucher system. For 30 years, Republicans have lavished state monies on voucher schools that get to choose the students they accept and retain, as they simultaneously defunded public schools. Republicans ruined Wisconsin's once #1 in America public schools ACT scores with relentless funding cuts and vicious attacks on teachers. 

Republicans and their Wisconsin allies in the manufacturing, business, and real estate cabals have spent over 1 BILLION dollars in TV and media advertising to denigrate Wisconsin teachers as "lazy, overpaid, thugs, parasites, goons, groomers, pigs," and even worse slurs. This constant onslaught of anti-teacher media attacks has made teachers Public Enemy #1 across Wisconsin-especially the rural MAGA  Republican voting regions. For over 30 years, denigrating teachers is the sure path to victory for MAGA Republican candidates across Wisconsin. 

You worked hard and spent a LOT of money for your college degree. Why waste it by staying in Wisconsin working 80 hour weeks at poverty-level salaries when you have the opportunity to live a fulfilling life and career in states like Minnesota where teachers and quality public education are valued? We hope you use this website to make the best decision for your future.