>> Reporting from Madison. I'm Zach Schultz for "Here& Now".
>> 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.
>> 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.
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 and 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 and then also ways that we can