Democrat-backed candidate reelected as Wisconsin schools superintendent

Jill Underly prevailed in her reelection for Wisconsin superintendent of public instruction, beating challenger Brittany Kinser, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ.

Though the race is technically nonpartisan, Underly was backed by the state Democratic Party and Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), while Kinser, an education consultant who has advocated for school choice, was backed by the state GOP, among other groups.

Though the superintendent race hasn’t received the same kind of national attention the state’s Supreme Court race has, the election has become a focus within the state, particularly because of Underly’s decision last year to change the way its students are assessed.

Underly received criticism from Republicans and even Gov. Tony Evers (D) after she made changes that affected the state’s school exam, the Forward Exam. The Forward Exam used to be tied to benchmarks used in the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the nation’s report card.

But she changed the benchmarks, which critics say lowered the state’s standards in measuring student achievement and made it harder to compare student achievement between years.

Underly has argued the state wasn’t lowering standards but was “reflecting actual student results using Wisconsin’s strong academic standards.”