Superintendent race has split supporters on party lines
Position is nonpartisan, but issues are divisive
In a contentious race that has drummed up millions of dollars for campaigning and attack ads, Deborah Kerr and Jill Underly will face off April 6 for the top position overseeing K-12 education in Wisconsin.
The winner will replace current state superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor, who was appointed by Tony Evers when he left the post to become governor. Taylor did not seek to keep the position.
Kerr, former superintendent of Brown Deer Schools, has been backed by former Gov. Scott Walker and other conservatives, though she self-identified as a “pragmatic Democrat.” Leftleaning groups and politicians have aligned with Underly, superintendent of the Pecatonica School District in southwest Wisconsin.
The position is technically nonpartisan and doesn’t require candidates to affiliate with a party.
A key point of political division: Kerr has voiced support for school choice programs that provide taxpayer-funded vouchers for students from low-income families to attend private schools. Underly opposes expansion of these programs, which divert funding from public schools, and has called for more accountability measures for private schools that accept vouchers.
Major changes to voucher programs would require action from lawmakers. The new superintendent will craft budget proposals for education funding and may set guidance for districts on a number of issues, including pandemic safety, virtual learning, curriculum and teacher licensing.
Money pours in
With $775,000 coming from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Underly’s campaign reported raising over $1.3 million in February and March. That’s more than seven times what Kerr has raised throughout her campaign.
Underly’s campaign also received about $68,000 from state teachers unions in the last two months, includ
ing $18,000 from the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association’s political action committee.
Other labor organizations, including the Food and Commercial Workers International Union and Wisconsin Laborers’ District Council, together contributed more than $50,000 to Underly’s campaign.
In the same two months, Kerr’s campaign reported raising $71,465. Most contributions came from individuals, including a $20,000 donation from Diane Hendricks, a Beloit billionaire and Republican megadonor. Another $18,800 came from Richard Pieper, who helped start the Wisconsin Character Education Partnership.
Kerr’s campaign also received $5,000 from the political action committee of former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.
Additionally, according to tracking by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, liberal groups have spent $766,425 on advertisements and robocalls about the race, while a conservative group has spent $96,500.
The bulk of the spending came from A Better Wisconsin Together, which spent $78,000 on digital ads for Underly and over $675,000 on TV ads opposing Kerr. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin and WEAC’s political action committee also contributed to ads and robocalls for Underly, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign reported.
The American Federation for Children, a national group previously chaired by voucher advocate Betsy DeVos, spent $96,500 on online ads against Underly.
Key issues
Though nearly all schools in Wisconsin have reopened their buildings at least part-time, Kerr has been traveling the state calling for immediate reopenings with precautions in place.
“I am firm that all Wisconsin students should have access to in-person instruction immediately,” Kerr said in a statement.
Underly, whose own district is open for in-person schooling, has said schools should reopen as soon as possible with safety guidance from the state Department of Public Instruction.
“The bottom line is that getting kids back in the classroom requires more than the trite soundbites my opponent offers,” Underly said in a statement.
Both candidates have stressed the need to diversify the teaching workforce of the state. While Underly has focused on easing the pathway for teacher licensure and student loan forgiveness, Kerr has also called for dramatic staffing changes within the DPI.
Earlier this month, Kerr announced a plan to move or rehire most of the more than 400 employees at the agency away from Madison and into offices around the state to attract more diverse candidates. Underly criticized the plan as overly disruptive and costly.
Also this month, Kerr shared proposals related to trafficking and abuse of children. She called for a new task force with members from several state agencies, law enforcement and other organizations that would work on schoolbased programs to identify and report warning signs.
Underly has emphasized plans for full-day 3K and 4K programs in public schools. She was criticized for sending her own children to private school for kindergarten despite her stance on voucher programs. She said her family did not use vouchers but sent their children to the private school because, at the time, their public school in Madison didn’t have full-time 4K. She started such a program in Pecatonica.
Both candidates have said they would push for changes to school funding proposed by the bipartisan Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding two years ago, including more funding for mental health, special education, high poverty students and rural areas.
Attacks from both sides
Both candidates have accused each other of misusing school email addresses while working as local superintendents.
Underly used her district email address to reach out to superintendents around the state, asking for their personal email addresses, shortly before announcing her campaign, the State Journal reported.
Kerr used her district email, in the last few months before her retirement, to talk about business for her new company, Lead Greatly, LLC — including correspondence during at least one school day.
Kerr also came under fire for her response to financial issues in the Brown Deer School District, which she had attributed to the former business manager. Last week, an attorney for the business manager threatened to sue Kerr if she didn’t retract statements about him.
Both candidates also have faced outside criticism on their handling of racial issues.
In a forum before the primary, another candidate questioned Underly about her response to Pecatonica alumni riding a homecoming float that read, “Trump needs a wall to deal with the Southwestern crew” as a group wearing sombreros acted out climbing a wall. At the time, Underly issued a statement condemning the float. In the forum, Underly repeated the condemnation but did not reply to follow-up accusations that she was minimizing the problem.
Shortly before polls closed on the night of the primary, Kerr replied to a viral Twitter prompt about first experiences being called the N-word. Kerr wrote, “I was 16 in high school and white — my lips were bigger than most and that was the reference given to me.” After other Twitter users pointed out how her response minimized the experience of Black people who are called the slur, Kerr shut down her account and later apologized.
Learn more
Many organizations have hosted virtual forums that are available for online viewing on Wisconsin Eye and other platforms:
March 4: Wisconsin Disability
Vote Coalition
March 8: Cream City Chapter of the Links
March 11: WI Public Education Network and League of Women Voters
March 17: Marquette University Law School
March 18: Wisconsin Association of School Boards
March 19: Wisconsin Policy Forum There will be another public forum March 31, organized by a coalition of Wisconsin colleges that can be viewed live or later on the BadgersVote YouTube channel.