Frederica Freyberg:
In addition to that race for Wisconsin Supreme Court, there’s also the statewide race for superintendent of public instruction on the April 1st ballot. In this contest, incumbent Jill Underly faces challenger Brittany Kinser. As part of his continuing coverage of this race, reporter Steven Potter spoke to the candidates about why they want to lead the Department of Public Instruction.

Brittany Kinser:
My name is Brittany Kinser. I am a lifelong educator and I am running for state superintendent of public instruction. … I want to restore high standards because our children deserve so much better. I want to make sure that we are focusing on teaching reading, writing and math so our kids can get a meaningful job, go to college, or master a trade. I want to make sure that we are partnering with our parents, making sure that we — the billions of dollars that we’re spending is going into the classroom and supporting our great teachers, modernizing our funding formula, and also making sure that the Department of Public Instruction is transparent, is predictable and innovative, so we can have the best school system in the country, and we can have 95% of our children reading well enough to go to college or have a career.

Jill Underly:
My name is Jill Underly. I am the incumbent for the office of Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction. … I’ve been doing the job and I’ve been standing up for Wisconsin’s public schools, rural schools and urban schools. You know, my entire professional career, I’m a public servant through and through. But I also have the experience as a local school district superintendent. I have the licensure not just as a teacher, but also as an administrator. And then I also have the experience working at the university and the connections between K-12 and higher education. … I want a high-quality public education that’s accessible for all students. All students feel that they can belong and that they are, they are welcome in their schools. I would like to see expansions for mental health, early childhood, and then also ways that we can retain and respect teachers.