WISCONSIN (OnFocus) – The Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction is a significant elected position responsible for overseeing the state’s public education system.
Role and Responsibilities
The State Superintendent heads the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), a state agency tasked with managing K-12 public education. This includes:
- Providing leadership and support to Wisconsin’s 421 public school districts.
- Overseeing teacher licensing and professional standards.
- Distributing state and federal education funds—about $8 billion annually.
- Setting education policies and standards, like curriculum benchmarks and student assessments (e.g., the Wisconsin Forward Exam).
- Acting as an advocate for public schools, often engaging with the governor and legislature on funding and policy.
Uniquely, Wisconsin is the only state where voters directly elect this official without a state board of education, giving the superintendent broad authority, answerable only to the electorate every four years.
Jill Underly has been the State Superintendent since April 6, 2021, winning with 57.6% of the vote against Deborah Kerr. She’s currently running for re-election in 2025. Underly’s career spans teaching (middle and high school), school administration (elementary principal and district superintendent), and roles within DPI and higher education. She’s from Indiana originally but has deep ties to Wisconsin’s education system.
She’s focused on boosting school funding (requesting $4 billion more for the 2025-27 budget), improving teacher recruitment (e.g., apprenticeships), and addressing equity, mental health, and special education. She’s a vocal opponent of school vouchers, arguing they drain public school resources.
Underly advanced from the February 18, 2025, primary with 38% of the vote, facing Brittany Kinser (36%) in the April 1 general election. Jeff Wright (28%) was eliminated. The race pits her Democratic-backed, pro-public-school stance against Kinser’s Republican-supported, school-choice advocacy.
Election Context
Term: Four years, no term limits. The next term starts July 2025.
Nonpartisan, but Polarized: Officially nonpartisan, the role often splits along ideological lines. Underly has Democratic Party support ($106,000 in 2025) and endorsements from unions like the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, while Kinser’s backed by the GOP ($200,000) and groups like Moms for Liberty.
Stakes: The superintendent will navigate Trump’s second term, including his push to cut the federal Department of Education (14% of school budgets nationwide). Wisconsin’s persistent racial achievement gaps and funding debates (e.g., reliance on property tax referendums) also loom large.
Recent Developments
Test Score Controversy: In 2024, Underly’s DPI lowered proficiency thresholds on state tests, boosting scores but drawing bipartisan criticism (including from Governor Tony Evers) for masking performance issues. Critics say it obscures Wisconsin’s lag, especially for Black students, where it ranks poorly nationally.
Budget Battles: Underly’s $4 billion ask contrasts with the Republican-led legislature’s resistance, though Evers’ 2025-27 budget proposes $3.1 billion for education, setting up a showdown.
The role’s been elected since Wisconsin’s constitution was ratified in 1848. Past notable superintendents include Tony Evers (2009-2019), now governor, who also prioritized equity and funding.
In short, the superintendent wields outsized influence over Wisconsin’s schools, and the 2025 race—Underly vs. Kinser—could shift priorities on funding, vouchers, and standards, especially with national education policy in flux.
How to Decide Your Vote
When deciding whom to vote for in the 2025 Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction race between incumbent Jill Underly and challenger Brittany Kinser, here are key factors to consider based on their backgrounds, positions, and the stakes involved. The election is on April 1, 2025, and early voting is underway as of March 13, 2025.
1. Vision for Public Education
Jill Underly: Champions robust public school funding, requesting $4 billion more for 2025-27 to address teacher shortages, special education, and mental health. She opposes school vouchers, arguing they siphon resources from public schools (e.g., $6 million lost by Madison schools this year). Her focus is on equity and strengthening traditional public education.
Brittany Kinser: Supports school choice, including vouchers and charters, as a way to empower families. She’s backed by conservatives (e.g., $200,000 from the Wisconsin GOP) and wants to prioritize core skills (reading, writing, math) over what she sees as excessive bureaucracy or progressive policies.
Consider: Do you prioritize fully funded public schools for all, or options like vouchers and charters for parental choice?
2. Academic Standards and Accountability
Underly: Oversaw a 2024 change lowering proficiency thresholds on the Wisconsin Forward Exam, which critics (including Governor Evers) say masks poor performance. She defends it as aligning with updated standards, but Wisconsin lags nationally, especially in racial achievement gaps.
Kinser: Criticizes Underly’s “lowered standards” and pledges to restore rigorous benchmarks, citing only 3 in 10 kids reading at grade level per national data. She wants transparent, timely test score releases to drive improvement.
Consider: Are you more concerned about transparent, high standards or trusting DPI to adapt assessments to current curricula?
3. Experience and Leadership Style
Underly: Brings 25+ years in education—teacher, principal, superintendent, DPI consultant—plus a doctorate from UW-Madison. She’s navigated funding fights and federal grants but faced flak for delayed Milwaukee Public Schools financial reporting in 2024.
Kinser: An education consultant with special education roots, she’s led charter schools (Rocketship Wisconsin) and a Milwaukee nonprofit. Lacks administrative experience at Underly’s scale but pitches a “fresh start” with less partisan baggage.
Consider: Do you value deep experience in public education or an outsider’s perspective promising reform?
4. Political Alignment and Funding
Underly: Backed by Democrats ($106,000 from the state party), unions (AFL-CIO, AFT), and progressive groups. Her policies align with Governor Evers’ $3.1 billion education budget push, though she’s clashed with GOP lawmakers.
Kinser: Supported by Republicans and conservative groups (e.g., Moms for Liberty), despite calling herself a moderate. Her school-choice stance and Trump-era resilience (she’s not opposed to cutting the federal Education Department) appeal to the right.
Consider: Does partisan support sway you, or do you care more about independence from political factions?
5. Handling National and Local Challenges
Underly: Opposes Trump’s plan to dismantle the federal Department of Education (14% of school budgets), fearing local funding gaps. She’s pushed universal meals and early childhood programs to boost outcomes.
Kinser: Open to federal cuts (“It’s fine”), emphasizing local control and efficiency. She focuses on workforce readiness and critiques DPI’s handling of post-pandemic recovery.
Consider: How do you weigh federal reliance versus local innovation, especially with Wisconsin’s achievement gaps and teacher retention crisis (4 in 10 leave within six years)?
Broader Context
This race will shape how Wisconsin’s 900,000 students, 421 districts, and $9 billion education budget are managed amid national debates over federal funding and local referendums (81 districts sought tax hikes in 2024). Your vote could tilt the DPI toward reinforcing public schools or expanding choice, impacting everything from test scores to teacher pay.
Bottom Line: Reflect on what matters most—public school strength or choice-driven reform, experience or new ideas, equity or accountability—and how each candidate’s track record and promises match your priorities for Wisconsin’s kids.
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Author: News Desk
This piece was posted by our news team! Contact us or submit stories at [email protected].
