to create a change. >> Ben Wikler, thanks very much.
>> Thanks so much. >> Despite being a contentious
race in its own right, the election for the next
superintendent of public schools had nearly 200,000 fewer votes
than the Supreme Court. Still, the Liberal candidate, Jill
Underly, had an almost six point lead over her opponent, Brittany
Kinser. >> It's a testament to our
shared commitment to ensuring that every child in Wisconsin
has access to a high quality education, regardless of their
ZIP code. And together, we've championed the belief that
public dollars should fund public schools. And tonight,
that belief has been reaffirmed. >> Who?
>> So over the past four years, we've made significant strides.
We've seen our graduation rates reach the highest in state
history. And our schools climb to be ranked sixth in the nation
by US News and World Report, up from 14th in 2020. We've
implemented higher standards in math and science, expanded
career and technical education, and passed a new bipartisan
literacy law to ensure our students are better prepared for
the future. But our work is far from over. We face challenges
ahead, including navigating the uncertainties brought by changes
at the federal level and with the Trump administration hell
bent on dismantling the US Department of Education, our
role in defending and advocating for public schools becomes even
more critical. >> We cannot settle for only
three out of ten of our children. I'm sorry, three out
of ten children reading well enough to go to college or have
a career. We cannot settle for only 5% of our Black children in
Milwaukee reading well enough to go to college. It is a reading
crisis, and I'm so glad that we were able to elevate this
reading crisis so that all of you who are listening to me now