Who Is Running For State Superintendent?

Wisconsin voters will head to the polls on February 18 for the first statewide race of 2025.

Incumbent Jill Underly will face two challengers in this year’s State Superintendent race, triggering a statewide primary on Tuesday, February 18. 

Running against Underly for the top post in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) are educational consultant Brittany Kinser, and Sauk Prairie Superintendent Jeff Wright.  Because there are more than two candidates, a primary will be held and the top two vote-getters will advance to the general election on April 1.

Here’s what we know so far about the candidates.

The candidates 

Underly was elected state Superintendent of Public Instruction  in April, 2021. She previously served as a principal and district administrator of the Pecatonica School District.  Underly began her career teaching high school social studies. 

Wright announced his candidacy in October. He previously taught social studies and served as a high school principal on Chicago’s south side before becoming superintendent of Sauk Prairie School District. 

Wright was also named “Administrator of the Year” by the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance in 2024. 

Kinser, of Wauwatosa, announced her candidacy in December, despite stating earlier that she would not seek office. She previously taught special education, served as an instructional coach in Chicago Public Schools and served as executive director of Rocketship Public Schools, a national network of charter schools. 

Kinser has written and spoken on behalf of charter schools and also served as the President of City Forward Collective in Milwaukee and currently heads her own educational consulting firm, Kinser Consulting. She is described by conservative commentator and former Dane County Board member David Blaska as being “about as good as we’re going to get. In other words, more Joe Manchin than Rachel Maddow.” 

Where they stand

Shortly after announcing her re-election campaign, Underly began publicly announcing the budget requests she would be making as part of the state’s upcoming biennium budget – an apparent signal of her priorities and vision for the post if she were to continue serving as State Superintendent.

Underly’s budget requests include student-centered priorities such as improving teacher retention and recruitment, increasing mental health resources, increasing special education funding, and a universal school lunch program. 

Underly’s recent decision to change the benchmarks for state standardized testing has drawn some criticism. 

When asked about the change in a press conference earlier this month, Governor Tony Evers even remarked that while he “shouldn’t weigh in on things that aren’t his purview anymore,” he would have handled the process around changing testing standards differently. (Evers previously served as the State Superintendent from 2009 – 2019.)

The issue has opened Underly to claims that DPI has a transparency issue. After announcing his candidacy, Wright told the Wisconsin Examiner that “he probably aligns closely with the current superintendent on many issues, but he thinks there is currently a ‘disconnect’ between DPI and schools.” 

Wright appears focused on improving communication and giving everyone a seat at the table – from teachers and administrators, to legislators and parents, regardless of political party.   

In a press release, Kinser stated “she wants to restore high academic standards and make sure students have the skills they need for good jobs after graduation… She believes Wisconsin must prioritize reading, writing, math and science to provide the foundation for meaningful careers and a bright future.”

But if actions say anything, then Underly likely agrees with prioritizing educational foundations, particularly reading, as evidenced by her repeated attempts to fund the state’s new literacy law. 

While voters may have difficulty separating the candidates based on classroom philosophies and testing standards, a broader issue separates the candidates. 

“In Wisconsin, the existential issue for public schools is school privatization and the increasing degree to which we are trying to fund two school systems, one public and one private,” Ruth Conniff, editor-in-chief of the Wisconsin Examiner, said in an UpNorthNews Radio segment.

“[Kinser] is a big advocate for the expansion of the private schools that receive public funds. So I would say that separates her, pretty distinctly from Underly and Wright.”