District Info
Career Prospect: 
Might Be a Good District

Polk County

County Seat: 
Balsam 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: 
61% Trump
2018 Election: 
58% Walker
2020 Election: 
63% Trump
COVID Rate: 
53% Fully Vaccinated
Money Stolen From This District's Taxpayers to Fund School Vouchers Across Wisconsin
Latest Available Data: 2022-23 School Year: 
$206,744
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: 
$52,841
2022-23 Projected Salary at 26.3% Inflation Rate: 
$66,738
2022-23 Average Salary: 
$63,590
Average Teacher Salary Performance
WERC Inflation Rate Since July 2011 : 
26.3
Real Salary Change: 
20.3%
2022-23 Purchasing Power Change : 
$-3,148

This school district is located in Polk County, where the majority of residents are huge Trump supporters. Not surprisingly, public education in this county suffers from a lack of support from the mostly MAGA county residents. 

The Polk County school district average teacher salary ranges from $51,453 to $63,590. 

The St. Croix Falls school district had the highest average teacher salary in Polk County at $63,590. The increase in average teacher salary for the St. Croix Falls school district was 20.3% since 2011, which was just below that rate of inflation. 

The St. Croix Falls school district Superintendent received a 47.7% pay increase during the same time. This was well above the rate of inflation and more than DOUBLE the pay increases for teachers.

With this county being located adjacent to 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.

We rate the career potential for teachers in this district as  Might Be a Good District to Teach in because of it's high average teacher salary and increase in average teacher salaries that was about equal to the rate of inflation.

Estimated Average Teacher Income Loss Since 2011 From Act 10
$81,550

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: 
$100,550
2022-23 Projected Salary at 26.3% Inflation Rate : 
$126,995
2022-23 Superintendent Salary: 
$148,458
Superintendent Salary Performance
WERC Inflation Rate Since July 2011 : 
26.3
Real Salary Change: 
47.7%
2022-23 Purchasing Power Change: 
$21,463
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