District Info
Career Prospect: 
Dead End Job

Washington County

County Seat: 
West Bend
WCA District: 
Southeast

Washington 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: 
68% Trump
2018 Election: 
72% Walker
2020 Election: 
68% Trump
COVID Rate: 
54% Fully Vaccinated
Money Stolen From This District's Taxpayers to Fund School Vouchers Across Wisconsin
Latest Available Data: 2022-23 School Year: 
$457,746
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: 
$52,818
2022-23 Projected Salary at 26.3% Inflation Rate: 
$66,709
2022-23 Average Salary: 
$59,796
Average Teacher Salary Performance
WERC Inflation Rate Since July 2011 : 
26.3
Real Salary Change: 
13.2%
2022-23 Purchasing Power Change : 
$-6,913

This school district is located in Washington County, which is literally "Ground Zero" for the largest concentration of MAGA Republican voters in Wisconsin. Well over 80% of residents in this county spent 2012-2018 Standing With Walker  to denigrate teachers and defund quality public education.

Today, it seems that nearly every yard in the county that has a sign proclaiming support for Trump and/or contempt for President Biden and those who support him. FJB signs are more prevalent than the American flag in most areas of Washington County.  Woe to anyone, especially a public school teacher, that doesn't openly support Trump or who dares to openly support Biden or any Democratic candidate. 

Despite being one of the most prosperous counties in Wisconsin, with an extremely high cost of living, average teacher pay in this county ranges from $54,353 to $69,650. The median home price in this county is over $500,000 with soaring apartment rental costs as well. 

With most school districts' pay increases well below the inflation rate, few Washington County teachers are able to afford to live anywhere close to where they teach. Not really a big problem though, because in Washington County, school teachers are considered "losers" (and worse) by the Republican voting residents. 

The Hartford Joint #1 school district average teacher salary was mid-range in Washington County at $59,796.  The increase in average teacher salary since 2011  was 13.2%, which was far below the rate of inflation.

During the same time period, the Superintendent pay increased by 48.1%, over TRIPLE the average teacher pay increase.

For all of the reasons above, we rate the career potential for teachers in this district to be a DEAD END job.

Estimated Average Teacher Income Loss Since 2011 From Act 10
$115,416

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: 
$133,291
2022-23 Projected Salary at 26.3% Inflation Rate : 
$168,347
2022-23 Superintendent Salary: 
$197,401
Superintendent Salary Performance
WERC Inflation Rate Since July 2011 : 
26.3
Real Salary Change: 
48.1%
2022-23 Purchasing Power Change: 
$29,054
Ten Year Teacher Salaries
Median 2020-2021 First Year Teacher Salary: 
$0
Projected Ten Year Salary in 2020-21: 
$0
Median 2020-2021 Ten Year Teacher Salary: 
$0
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.