Jill Underly reelected as Wisconsin superintendent of schools

State Superintendent Jill Underly was reelected Tuesday, beating educational consultant Brittany Kinser to continue leading Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction. 

The election was nonpartisan in name only. Underly was backed by the state Democratic Party, while Kinser, who described herself as a moderate, was endorsed by Republicans. Both parties lined up behind their preferred candidates and pumped money into the campaigns.

The Associated Press called the race for Underly at 10:07 p.m. based on unofficial totals at 82 percent. All results are unofficial until they’re certified in coming weeks.

Underly’s win continues the decades-long streak of DPI candidates who are backed by the state’s teachers unions occupying the seat.

“This victory belongs to everyone who belongs in the power of public education,” Underly said. “To every educator, family and most importantly kids.”

Underly received about $850,000 from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, out of the $1.1 million she’s raised since February. Kinser received almost $1.7 million from the Republican Party of Wisconsin, out of about $2.2 million raised total, according to her committee report and a late filing.

Kinser, who has never been elected to public office, said Tuesday night she is proud of the campaign she ran and she won’t stop working for children.

“We cannot settle for only three out of 10 children reading well enough to go to college or have a career,” Kinser said.

While the race for state superintendent did not garner the same national attention as Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, DPI sets the direction of public education for the state. 

The department supports more than 400 school districts, sets academic programing and oversees the state’s libraries. 

For months, Underly has been under fire for DPI changing testing standards. Republicans and other opponents, including Kinser, accused her of “lowering” standards. 

Underly has stood by the changes, saying the new standards better reflect where children are in their learning. 

Republicans sent a bill to the governor’s desk that would reset the way the state measures standardized test scores. Evers vetoed the bill last week.

Now heading into her second term, Underly will face the continued challenges of student learning loss related to the pandemic, Milwaukee having the widest racial achievement gap in the nation and declining enrollment in public schools.

She will also run the DPI at a time when nationally, the U.S. Department of Education is being dismantled by President Donald Trump’s administration.

“Our work is far from over. We face challenges ahead,” Underly said Tuesday. “With the Trump administration hell-bent on dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, our role in defending and advocating for public schools becomes even more critical.”

Editor’s note: WPR reporter Anna Marie Yanny contributed to this report.