District Info
Career Prospect: 
Dead End Job

Washburn County

County Seat: 
Shell Lake
WCA District: 
Northwest

Teachers are truly the nicest, kindest people in the world; generous to a fault looking to improve their students’ lives, often at the expense of their own lives and their families. For these truly wonderful people, accepting a teaching position in a county filled with MAGA cult members is a major culture shock.

We created this website to tell the stories of the many ways that Act 10 upended teachers’ lives and careers since 2011. These are stories that the Mainstream Media Bosses have intentionally ignored. Wisconsin’s Mainstream Media has supported the Republican Dictatorship that has ruled Wisconsin since 2011 through active suppression of reporting on how Act 10 decimated 50 years of improvements in teachers’ lives and working conditions. The Mainstream Media has endorsed many Republican politicians that keep the Wisconsin Republican Dictatorship alive and well.

Teaching and living in this county requires one to be comfortable with being treated as a second class citizen at best, and more likely shunned as a pariah by the majority of your neighbors. Many of your neighbors will be angry Trump-worshipping bullies who are still pissed at teachers for the closing of schools for 2 months at the beginning of the pandemic  Most of your neighbors give 100% support to Republican candidates who have worked to defund public education and punish teachers for making kids wear masks when in-person classes resumed.  

Before the majority of your neighbors in this county joined the Trump cult, they were “Standing With Walker” to smack teachers around from 2011 to 2018. Due to Act 10 wiping out 50 years of improvement in teacher working conditions and employment protections, thousands of teachers in counties across Wisconsin lost their jobs and careers.

Most of your neighbors will be MAGA Republicans who are strong supporters of the Wisconsin Republican Dictatorship that slashed over 4 BILLION dollars in state aid to public schools since 2011-the largest cuts to public schools in America, while giving the largest state tax dollar funding increases in America to private and religious schools that carefully select and retain their students in order to keep the “more costly to educate” (handicapped & disabled) students out.

Wisconsin is the only state in America without tenure or collective bargaining protections keeping teachers from being unjustly terminated or non-renewed. Since 2011, hundreds of teachers in Republican controlled Wisconsin counties have been non-renewed or terminated as retribution for signing a petition to recall Governor Walker, or making a Facebook post or posting a lawn sign supporting a Democratic candidate.

Before you accept one of the thousands of open teaching positions in Wisconsin, we hope that you will give careful consideration to leaving Wisconsin for numerous other places in America(like our neighbors in Minnesota & Illinois) that appreciate and welcome high quality teachers to become productive residents of their state and boost their states’ economies far ahead of Wisconsin’s stagnant economic growth since Act 10 was imposed in 2011 by the Republican Dictatorship that still rules Wisconsin.

Since 2011, thousands of great teachers and administrators have enjoyed significant career advancement by leaving Wisconsin. We think that you will too.

Political Environment
2016 Election: 
60% Trump
2018 Election: 
56% Walker
2020 Election: 
61% Trump
COVID Rate: 
62% Fully Vaccinated
Money Stolen From This District's Taxpayers to Fund School Vouchers Across Wisconsin
Latest Available Data: 2022-23 School Year: 
$340,160
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: 
$54,754
2022-23 Projected Salary at 26.3% Inflation Rate: 
$69,154
2022-23 Average Salary: 
$60,273
Average Teacher Salary Performance
WERC Inflation Rate Since July 2011 : 
26.3
Real Salary Change: 
10.1%
2022-23 Purchasing Power Change : 
$-8,881

This school district is located in Washburn County, where the majority of residents are huge Trump supporters. Driving through this county one is likely to see more Trump & FJB flags displayed at nearly every home than American flags. Not surprisingly, public education in this county suffers from a lack of support from the mostly MAGA county residents. 

The Washburn County school district average teacher salary ranges from $48,487 to $60,273. 

The Spooner Area school district had the highest average salary in this county at $60,273. The increase in average teacher salary for this school district was 10.1% since 2011, which was well below the rate of inflation. Superintendent pay increased by 30.3% during this same period, which was almost TRIPLE the increase in average teacher salaries.  

With this county being located near the Minnesota border, we urge teachers considering teaching here to explore teaching vacancies just across the border in Minnesota. Successful candidates could earn starting salaries of $10-15,000 more than what teachers are now earning in Wisconsin, with far higher career salary potential.

Rating this district is a really tough call. Several years ago, this district went through some really ugly turmoil when a Rogue Superintendent & Administration created a toxic work atmosphere where numerous long-time teachers were non-renewed without any warning or opportunity to improve. Community members supporting the fired teachers packed school board meetings, only to be told that the teachers in Spooner were a bunch of "sons of bitches". Since that ugly time period, the Spooner Area school district has been a frequent flyer on WECAN as teachers continue to flee this district. 

Only on the basis of the $60,273 average teacher salary, we rate career employment in this district as Might Be a Good Place to Teach. We strongly advise teachers considering accepting employment in this district to DO YOUR HOMEWORK to find out if  the right-wing Whack-Jobs that drove the Teacher Purge several years ago are still in charge, before signing a contract to teach in this district.  

More information:  https://www.wpr.org/education/spooner-high-school-students-stage-walkout...

Estimated Average Teacher Income Loss Since 2011 From Act 10
$134,640

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: 
$122,466
2022-23 Projected Salary at 26.3% Inflation Rate : 
$154,675
2022-23 Superintendent Salary: 
$159,588
Superintendent Salary Performance
WERC Inflation Rate Since July 2011 : 
26.3
Real Salary Change: 
30.3%
2022-23 Purchasing Power Change: 
$4,913
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.