Kinser, Underly on April ballot

Incumbent Jill Underly and challenger Brittany Kinser will face off in the April 1 general election for the nonpartisan chief of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Incumbent State Superintendent Jill Underly got about 37% of the votes in Tuesday’s primary election as she runs for a second term. She was previously superintendent of the Pecatonica School District in southwest Wisconsin.

Challenger Brittany Kinser will also advance after securing about 35% of the votes statewide. Kinser is an education consultant who is a self-described moderate. She was previously president of City Forward Collective, a charter- and voucher-focused Milwaukee nonprofit; director of Wisconsin Rocketship schools, part of a national network of public charter schools; and educator in Chicago public and charter schools.

Challenger Jeff Wright, who is currently Sauk Prairie schools superintendent, finished third and won’t advance to the general election receiving 27% of the votes in the election.

“I got into this race because I believe that Wisconsin should always be at the forefront of innovation and excellence in public education. Our districts deserve better from the Department of Public Instruction because Wisconsin’s kids and communities deserve the absolute best from our schools,” Wright said following his primary loss.

In Taylor County, the Republicanbacked Kinser had the strongest showing with unofficial county results showing she received 618 votes (54%) to Wright’s 263 votes (23%) and Underly’s 251 votes (22%). Unofficial county totals do not include the town of Grover.

Historically, voter turnout for spring primary elections, especially those with nothing else on the ballot have low turnouts and Tuesday’s race was no exception. Taylor County saw 1,132 voters participate compared to voter turnout of 11,242 in the November presidential election. The number of people actually going to polling places was far lower due to absentee ballots. According to clerk Ashley Lemke, 88 of the 218 votes cast in the city of Medford came from absentee ballots.

In a statement following the election, Kinser said, 'Jeff Wright ran a strong race and we agree on several important issues like restoring the high standards Jill Underly lowered for our children. I am committed to restoring those standards and ensuring every child has the opportunity to go to college, get a meaningful job, or master a trade. I welcome Jeff, his supporters, and all Wisconsinites - regardless of their political beliefs - who agree that our kids deserve so much better to join our campaign.”

In a statement following the election Underly said, “I am deeply grateful to the voters of Wisconsin for their support in this primary election. We have a shared commitment to Wisconsin’s public schools, educators, and most importantly, our kids. Throughout my tenure as State Superintendent, I helped pass a new bipartisan literacy law, implemented higher standards for math and science, and expanded career and technical education. Today, our graduation rate is the highest in state history and our schools are ranked 6th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report - up from 14th in 2020.”