Wisconsin school superintendent race; Underly, Kinser debate virtually

MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin voters will decide who controls the state's education department. However, it is a race that is easy to miss. 

A recent Marquette University Law School poll found most Wisconsinites did not know enough about either candidate to have an opinion of them. Sixty-four percent said they lacked an opinion of the incumbent – and 71% of the challenger. 

Jill Underly, Brittany Kinser

Race for Superintendent of Public Instruction

What we know:

The race for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction is a race that is officially non-partisan. However, Democrats back the incumbent, Jill Underly, and Republicans back the challenger, Brittany Kinser. 

In their one and only shared event, Underly and Kinser sparred virtually over several topics, like vouchers, a state program that pays for some students to attend private schools.

What they're saying:

"I strongly believe that public dollars should be invested in public schools," Underly said. "I am strongly against using public dollars to fund the private schools."

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"I do want to start talking about the children and families who use the scholarship who live at a certain income level. We talk about a voucher as an object," Kinser said. "These are children. Theses are families. In Milwaukee, it’s mostly black and brown families living in poverty. And we’re saying: we’re going to take this option away from them?"

Voucher program oversight

What we know:

The state superintendent oversees Wisconsin's public schools and oversees the state's voucher program. But this person cannot stop it. It is the legislature and the governor who approve vouchers and keep the program funded. 

The Department of Public Instruction also makes sure districts turn in required financial audits. It hands out funding to public schools, licenses teachers and keeps tabs on school performance. 

Both Underly and Kinser believe the state's funding formula for schools needs updates – including increasing the state's reimbursement rate it gives to local districts for special education.

What they're saying:

"I have a proven record of working with the legislature and getting a bi-partisan bill passed two years ago," Kinser said. 

"I will have to sue the legislature if they don’t fund our public schools," Underly said. 

The forum

What we know:

This week's event was hosted by the Wisconsin Public Education Network, NAACP Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed.

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Superintendent Underly has declined other joint invitations, including one at Marquette University on Thursday, March 20, and one with the Rotary Club next weke. Underly's campaign said she was not free.