Wisconsin voters chose Dr. Jill Underly as the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction, according to unofficial election results Tuesday night.
Underly took on a challenge from Brittany Kinser, a pro-school choice candidate. She won just over 52% of the ballots cast. More than 1.8 million people voted in the election — double that of the votes cast in the 2021 state superintendent race.
"Wisconsin loves its public schools. They're very important to the people of Wisconsin," Underly says.
Underly will take on many challenges as the highest elected K-12 education official in the state. School districts are increasingly turning to property tax referenda to fund basic functions of schools as state funding stagnates. Seismic changes to the federal Department of Education has resulted in huge slashes to grant programs in and around the state. And an ongoing teacher shortage and concerns about literacy rates in young students will continue to challenge public education.
"We're still coming out of COVID. We've got to make sure that we fix the funding formula and we keep our teachers here in Wisconsin in front of those kids that really deserve them," she says. "And (we need to) make sure that every school and every community has the opportunity to thrive."
Underly adds she hopes to build on the work she’s done in her first term as state superintendent. Her goal is to strengthen public schools despite declining enrollment. She said the state needs "sustainable, predictable revenue in all our public schools."
Kinser said she wanted to raise state test grading categories or “cut scores” on the Wisconsin Forward exams. Underly was criticized for changing the way standardized tests were graded to align with the student’s current grade, instead of modeling the exams after a national assessment that tests students at a grade level ahead of their current standing.
Wisconsin's State Superintendent serves a four-year term and is paid $132,000 per year.
Katherine Kokal is the education reporter at 89.7 WUWM - Milwaukee's NPR. Have a question about schools or an education story idea? You can reach her at kokal@uwm.edu
