State Superintendent candidates to participate in online forum Wednesday evening
Brittany Kinser headshot. Photo: courtesy of campaign. State Superintendent Jill Underly speaking at a rally in the Capitol. Photo: Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner.
Incumbent State Superintendent Jill Underly and education consultant Brittany Kinser, who are competing in the April 1 election to lead the Department of Public Instruction, will both participate in a virtual forum Wednesday evening. Kinser agreed to join the forum after initially declining, making a meeting of the two candidates appear unlikely ahead of the April 1 election.
Underly is running for her second term in office on a platform of supporting and investing more funding in public schools. She has the backing of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Kinser, an advocate for the state's school choice program, says she wants to work to improve reading and math education and raise state testing standards. She has the backing of the Wisconsin Republican Party and financial backing from prominent GOP billionaire megadonors.
A direct conversation between the two candidates seemed unlikely as of last week as Underly declined three invitations and Kinser declined an invitation for a forum hosted by the Wisconsin Public Education Network (WPEN), the NAACP, the League of Women's Voters and Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed. WPEN said in an email about the event that Kinser's campaign changed its mind and confirmed her appearance 'after clearing up some confusion and adjusting the timeline of the event.'
The event is being held online at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and will be moderated by Kevin Lawrence Henry, Jr., Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at UW-Madison.
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Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Denmark Raises Retirement Age to 70 - Could The US Do The Same?
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However, this shift can disadvantage those in physically demanding jobs or with health issues who can't delay retirement, experts have explained to Newsweek. Retirement in the U.S. The news from Denmark comes as the U.S. full retirement age (FRA) also changes, albeit to 67, for those born in 1960 and after. The FRA has been steadily rising since legislation was passed by Congress in 1983, a move made to help shore up the Social Security trust funds that pay benefits to more than 70 million Americans in 2025. This means that anyone claiming benefits before reaching this age will face a permanent financial penalty, reducing their Social Security payments for the rest of their life. If retiring at 67, older Americans can get their full insurance amount, and if they retire later, they can get even more. Even as the U.S. retirement age has already crept up, some lawmakers have indicated they want it raised even further. 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Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty Clerc said that raising the FRA could slash average lifetime benefits by nearly 20 percent, according to research from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "It's hard to justify asking a warehouse worker or home health aide to stay on the job into their late 60s or 70s," he said. "These are the same people who burn out early, face chronic pain, and often die younger—yet they'd be the ones asked to wait longer for benefits they've paid into their whole lives." Price warns that policy changes could also ripple through the workforce in unexpected ways. "If SSA's retirement ages were to be delayed, then Americans may need to work longer," he said. "What impact will that have on their employers, opportunities for colleagues moving up through the ranks, and overall labor participation? People and organizations will need time to prepare for those types of changes. It's going to be a big adjustment." How Do Americans Feel? Despite repeated calls from some policymakers to raise the retirement age, most Americans aren't buying it. Polls conducted in recent years indicate strong opposition to a higher FRA. A Data For Progress survey from 2023 found that only 8 percent of voters supported the idea of raising the FRA over 67. Clerc said that if it were to happen, it requires being done with care and that raising the retirement age "must be implemented gradually, equitably, and as part of a holistic reform package." "If we push people to work longer, we need to think about what that means—for them, for their families, and for the economy," Price said.
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
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On June 9, Bass called the very presence of ICE agents in the city a provocation: 'If immigration raids had not happened here, we would not have the disorder that went on.' 'Newsflash, Karen: There are immigration raids happening because Joe Biden allowed illegal alien criminals into Los Angeles, and you have dangerous sanctuary city policies that protect them,' Leavitt said on X. 'Since you and Governor Newsom refuse to maintain law and order — President Trump will.' But even as Newsom trolled Trump officials on X, he showed some signs of a possible middle ground. In a Thursday interview with the New York Times' 'The Daily' podcast, Newsom expressed 'deep empathy' for immigrants who had been living in California for decades and were contributing to society. But he also appeared to distance himself from L.A. County's approach of refusing to coordinate with federal immigration officials in any way. 'Get rid of the criminals, I have no problem with that,' he said. 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