District Info
Career Prospect: 
Dead End Job

Walworth County

County Seat: 
Elkhorn
WCA District: 
Southeast

Walworth County is one of the stronghold counties in the Republican Dictatorship that rules Wisconsin. While this is one of the highest pay counties (and highest cost of living),  teachers working here must endure a barrage of verbal assaults and attacks by right wing talk radio stations that amplify the hatred towards teachers. For the past 35 years, public school teachers have been firmly in the cross hairs of the right wing radio hosts whose original content is re-broadcast 24/7 on the 81 right wing talk radio stations across Wisconsin.

For every Republican politician in Wisconsin, the #1 key to election victory is attacking public schools, their teachers, and teachers’ families. Bolstered by right wing talk radio shows based in Milwaukee and Madison, Republican politicians throughout Wisconsin benefit by  hatred for public school teachers promoted by the large AM talk radio stations in Milwaukee and Madison.  

During a monitoring study a few years ago, in a two week period right wing radio hosts based in Milwaukee & Madison called Wisconsin teachers, “crybaby whiners, goons, scum of the earth, lazy fat pigs, jackasses, incompetent pigs, parasites, moochers, leeches, fat lazy bitches, money grubbing whores, dumb morons, manure brained twits, liberal hacks, indoctrinators, pedophiles, groomers, and child molesters”.

These verbal attacks are STRONGLY SUPPORTED by the radio station advertisers that include many of Wisconsin’s largest businesses. These right wing MAGA supporting talk radio hosts profess that their advertisers; car dealers, furniture stores, landscaping firms to name just a few, LOVE  having their product promoted during segments ripping public schools and teachers. 

Thanks to Act 10, every teacher in the Milwaukee and Madison radio markets goes to school knowing that day could be the final day of their career if they are personally targeted by one of the right wing radio jocks during an "Attack a Teacher" segment. These segments often begin with an inside "tip" from a "concerned parent" or high school student.

Several years ago, one such "tip" cost a suburban English teacher her job. She omitted writing down “Fox News” as an acceptable citation source during a classroom brainstorming session. For several days, she was denigrated on-air by several radio hosts, and was ultimately FIRED on the air by the Superintendent of her school district. Same for another teacher who was publicly humiliated and then terminated after a parent email complaining about her teaching style.

Since 2011 when Act 10 wiped out all fair dismissal protections for Wisconsin teachers, numerous Wisconsin teachers have been publicly humiliated and terminated on live AM radio by Superintendents that bow to the "Fire That Teacher" demands of right wing AM radio. 

Wisconsin teachers are the only teachers in America that could lose their jobs by AM radio talk show hosts acting as Judge, Jury, and Executioner by blowing up a huge controversy, often on the basis of an unsubstantiated allegation, and demanding that the Superintendent fire the teacher LIVE on the Air. This is the result of Governor Walker & the Republican Dictatorship that rules Wisconsin wiping out employment protections that teachers have in every other state in America. 

On several occasions since 2011, Republican AM radio jocks have used their shows to orchestrate violent attacks on teachers. In August 2011, several right wing talk radio hosts in the Milwaukee area called upon their listeners to attend a New Berlin school board meeting and pelt the “crybaby teachers” with pacifiers. One host told his audience that he wanted to see news pictures of teachers with “half dollar size welts” on their faces from being hit by pacifiers.

The hundred or so teachers in attendance were overwhelmed by the 500+ angry ginned up mob of right wing radio listeners that showed up with bags of pacifiers. As the first New Berlin teacher began to address the school board, hundreds of pacifiers rained down on the teachers. As the teachers fled for their safety through the hail of pacifiers, many teachers were spit on and even vomited on by the wildly cheering mob that began chanting, "Stand With Walker" as the terrorized teachers ran for their lives!  Once out in the parking lot, many teachers found that their cars had been vandalized as well.

A few months later, teachers were again targeted by several right wing radio hosts for their acceptance of a free gift box of spices from Penzey’s Spices. Wanting to boost teacher morale after months of vicious Republican attacks, owner Bill Penzey offered a free gift box of to every Wisconsin teacher. Inside each box was a “Love Teachers” bumper sticker.

Republicans & their AM talk radio allies were outraged over any kindness extended to public school teachers. Several talk radio hosts throughout Wisconsin created “contests” encouraging listeners to vandalize teachers’ cars with the “Love Teachers” bumper stickers by ripping off the windshield wipers or keying the sides. Several hundred teachers’ vehicles were damaged before word got out to remove those bumper stickers.

As a teacher in one of the strong holds of the Republican Dictatorship that rules Wisconsin, you cannot escape the often extreme hatred of public school teachers that is endemic to the Republican Dictatorship that has destroyed Wisconsin's once #1 Public Schools and now controls every aspect of teachers’ lives in Wisconsin.

Political Environment
2016 Election: 
57% Trump
2018 Election: 
60% Walker
2020 Election: 
59% Trump
COVID Rate: 
49% Fully Vaccinated

Walworth County is filled with MAGA Trump supporters who were Standing With Walker  to trash teachers and public education from 2011 to 2018. This county has a few larger districts with good pay with the remainder of school districts being small school districts that often pay so little that many teachers qualify for state and federal anti-poverty programs.

Average teacher salaries in this county range from $48,150 to $67,095.   

The Big Foot UHS district has a mid-range average teacher salary of $55,781. Since 2011, the average teacher salary increased by 9.9%, which was far below the inflation rate. Superintendent pay increased by 36.7%, which was over THREE TIMES the increase in average teacher salary and well above the inflation rate.

We truly cannot understand how the lower and mid-range paying districts can attract or retain any teachers when all a teacher has to do is drive 25 miles south into Illinois for a teaching position that starts at $10,000 more than Wisconsin and gives potential career earnings of 3-5 TIMES more than nearby Wisconsin districts. ,

Looking at the record of teacher salary increases for this district, and the extreme pro-Trump voting patterns of the county, we cannot recommend any teachers to accept a teaching job in this district/county when the opportunity exists earn an immediate increase of $10,000 or more, with FAR better working conditions and career growth potential by driving 25 miles to teach in northern Illinois.  Therefore, we rate employment prospects in this district as a Dead End job.

Money Stolen From This District's Taxpayers to Fund School Vouchers Across Wisconsin
Latest Available Data: 2022-23 School Year: 
$0
The Republican Dictatorship that rules 'Wisconsin has underfunded public schools since 2011 while giving the largest funding increases in America to private & parochial voucher schools.
Average Teacher Salaries
2010-2011 Average Salary: 
$50,756
2022-23 Projected Salary at 26.3% Inflation Rate: 
$64,105
2022-23 Average Salary: 
$55,781
Average Teacher Salary Performance
WERC Inflation Rate Since July 2011 : 
26.3
Real Salary Change: 
9.9%
2022-23 Purchasing Power Change : 
$-8,324
Estimated Average Teacher Income Loss Since 2011 From Act 10
$126,504

The Republican Dictatorship that has Ruled Wisconsin Since 2011 has underfunded public schools by over 4 Billion dollars in order to provide massive tax cuts to the wealthiest individual taxpayers and big business and manufacturers by severely reducing teacher salaries & benefits.

Superintendent Earnings
2010-2011 Superintendent Salary: 
$118,718
2022-23 Projected Salary at 26.3% Inflation Rate : 
$149,941
2022-23 Superintendent Salary: 
$162,285
Superintendent Salary Performance
WERC Inflation Rate Since July 2011 : 
26.3
Real Salary Change: 
36.7%
2022-23 Purchasing Power Change: 
$12,344
Ten Year Teacher Salaries
Median 2020-2021 First Year Teacher Salary: 
$40,500
Projected Ten Year Salary in 2020-21: 
$51,152
Ten Year Teacher Salary Performance
10 Year WERC Inflation Rate: 
26.3
Real Salary Change : 
0.0%
Real Purchasing Power Change*: 
$0

Planning on Returning to Teach in this District Next Year?

Have All Teachers Received CPI Pay Increases the Past 2 Years?  

2023 CPI was 8.00%  

2024 CPI was 4.12%

No???

Sick of the School Board Lavishing Big Raises on the Superintendent While Screwing Teachers?

Time to Send a Message to the School Board.....

Without a Guarantee of a BIG RAISE for signing your contract for the 2024-25 SY,

Make your School District WAIT until the week of June 12th to return your contract.

All contracts due by Saturday June 15th.

This is one of over 200 Wisconsin school districts  have SCREWED teachers (50,000+) since 2011 while giving MASSIVE pay raises to the Superintendent.  

Make your District value YOUR RETURN for next year as much as they value the Superintendent

Unless they offer at least a CPI raise for all teachers,

Hold off on returning your signed contract until June 12-14th.