Latest news with #Republican-supported
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
2025 Wisconsin superintendent race; Jill Underly projected winner
The Brief The Associated Press projected that Jill Underly won the 2025 Wisconsin superintendent race on Tuesday, April 1. Incumbent Jill Underly faced challenger Brittany Kinser. Underly was backed by Democrats and the teachers union. Kinser was backed by Republicans. MILWAUKEE - The Associated Press projected that Jill Underly won the 2025 Wisconsin superintendent race on Tuesday, April 1. Underly will remain as the state's top education official during President Donald Trump's second term, with Wisconsin voters choosing the Democratic-backed incumbent over a Republican-supported critic. What we know The race for state superintendent pits incumbent Jill Underly, who is backed by Democrats and the teachers union, against consultant Brittany Kinser, a supporter of the private school voucher program who is endorsed by Republicans but calls herself a moderate. Wisconsin is the only state where voters elect the top education official, but there is no state board of education. That gives the superintendent broad authority to oversee education policy, from dispersing school funding to managing teacher licensing. The winner will take office at a time when test scores are still recovering from the pandemic, the achievement gap between white and Black students remains the worst in the country and more schools are asking voters to raise property taxes to pay for operations. What we know Underly's education career began in 1999 as a high school social studies teacher in Indiana. She moved to Wisconsin in 2005 and worked for five years at the state education department. She also was principal of Pecatonica Elementary School for a year before becoming district administrator. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Underly, 47, was elected state superintendent in 2021 and was endorsed by the union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, as well as the Wisconsin Democratic Party and numerous Democratic officeholders. What we know Kinser, whose backers include the Wisconsin Republican Party and former Republican Govs. Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker, is vying to become the first GOP-affiliated person to hold the superintendent position in more than 30 years. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News She worked for almost 10 years as a special education teacher and instructional coach in Chicago Public Schools. After that she spent 15 years at public charter schools in Chicago, California and Milwaukee. The Source The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News and includes information from The Associated Press.
Chicago Tribune
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Wisconsin voters to choose top education official and consider voter ID amendment
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin's top education official, who will guide policies affecting K-12 schools during President Donald Trump's second term, will be elected Tuesday in a race between the teachers union-backed incumbent and a Republican-supported critic. The electorate will also decide whether to enshrine a voter ID law in the state constitution. Both contests have sharp partisan divisions, though they have drawn far less spending and national attention than the race for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Here's a look at the two contests: Incumbent education leader backed by unions, Democrats faces GOP choice The race to lead the state Department of Public Instruction pits incumbent Jill Underly, who is backed by Democrats and the teachers union, against consultant Brittany Kinser, a supporter of the private school voucher program who is endorsed by Republicans but calls herself a moderate. Wisconsin is the only state where voters elect the top education official but there is no state board of education. That gives the superintendent broad authority to oversee education policy, from dispersing school funding to managing teacher licensing. The winner will take office at a time when test scores are still recovering from the pandemic, the achievement gap between white and Black students remains the worst in the country and more schools are asking voters to raise property taxes to pay for operations. Underly's education career began in 1999 as a high school social studies teacher in Indiana. She moved to Wisconsin in 2005 and worked for five years at the state education department. She also was principal of Pecatonica Elementary School for a year before becoming district administrator. Underly, 47, was elected state superintendent in 2021 and was endorsed by the union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, as well as the Wisconsin Democratic Party and numerous Democratic officeholders. Kinser, whose backers include the Wisconsin Republican Party and former Republican Govs. Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker, is vying to become the first GOP-affiliated person to hold the superintendent position in more than 30 years. She worked for almost 10 years as a special education teacher and instructional coach in Chicago Public Schools. After that she spent 15 years at public charter schools in Chicago, California and Milwaukee. In the Milwaukee area, Kinser worked for Rocketship schools, part of a national network of public charter institutions, and became its executive director for the region. In 2022 she left Rocketship for City Forward Collective, a Milwaukee nonprofit that advocates for charter and voucher schools. She also founded a consulting firm where she currently works. Kinser, 47, tried to brand Underly as being a poor manager of the Department of Public Instruction and keyed in on her overhaul of state achievement standards last year. Underly said that was done to better reflect what students are learning now, but the change was met with bipartisan opposition including from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who was previously state superintendent himself. Evers has not made an endorsement in the race. Kinser said the new standards lowered the bar for students and made it more difficult to evaluate how schools and districts are performing over time. Underly portrayed Kinser as nothing more than a lobbyist who doesn't care about public education. Kinser supports the state's private school voucher and charter school program, which Democrats and Underly oppose on the grounds that such programs siphon needed money away from public schools. Longtime voter ID law could be enshrined in state constitution Wisconsin's photo ID requirement for voting would be elevated from state law to constitutional amendment under a proposal placed on the ballot by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Even if voters say no to that, the requirement, which has been on the books since 2011, will remain in place as law. It went into effect permanently in 2016 after a series of unsuccessful lawsuits. Republicans pitched the amendment it as a way to bolster election security and protect the law from being overturned in court. Democratic opponents argued that photo ID requirements are often enforced unfairly, making voting more difficult for people of color, disabled people and poor people. If voters pass the measure, it would make it more difficult for a future Legislature controlled by Democrats to change the law. Any constitutional amendment must be approved in two consecutive legislative sessions and by a statewide popular vote. Wisconsin is one of nine states where people must present photo ID to vote, and its requirement is the nation's strictest, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Thirty-six states have laws requiring or requesting that voters show some sort of identification, according to the NCSL. Originally Published: April 1, 2025 at 6:13 AM CDT
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wisconsin voters to choose top education official and consider voter ID amendment
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's top education official, who will guide policies affecting K-12 schools during President Donald Trump's second term, will be elected Tuesday in a race between the teachers union-backed incumbent and a Republican-supported critic. The electorate will also decide whether to enshrine a voter ID law in the state constitution. Both contests have sharp partisan divisions, though they have drawn far less spending and national attention than the race for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Here's a look at the two contests: Incumbent education leader backed by unions, Democrats faces GOP choice The race to lead the state Department of Public Instruction pits incumbent Jill Underly, who is backed by Democrats and the teachers union, against consultant Brittany Kinser, a supporter of the private school voucher program who is endorsed by Republicans but calls herself a moderate. Wisconsin is the only state where voters elect the top education official but there is no state board of education. That gives the superintendent broad authority to oversee education policy, from dispersing school funding to managing teacher licensing. The winner will take office at a time when test scores are still recovering from the pandemic, the achievement gap between white and Black students remains the worst in the country and more schools are asking voters to raise property taxes to pay for operations. Underly's education career began in 1999 as a high school social studies teacher in Indiana. She moved to Wisconsin in 2005 and worked for five years at the state education department. She also was principal of Pecatonica Elementary School for a year before becoming district administrator. Underly, 47, was elected state superintendent in 2021 and was endorsed by the union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, as well as the Wisconsin Democratic Party and numerous Democratic officeholders. Kinser, whose backers include the Wisconsin Republican Party and former Republican Govs. Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker, is vying to become the first GOP-affiliated person to hold the superintendent position in more than 30 years. She worked for almost 10 years as a special education teacher and instructional coach in Chicago Public Schools. After that she spent 15 years at public charter schools in Chicago, California and Milwaukee. In the Milwaukee area, Kinser worked for Rocketship schools, part of a national network of public charter institutions, and became its executive director for the region. In 2022 she left Rocketship for City Forward Collective, a Milwaukee nonprofit that advocates for charter and voucher schools. She also founded a consulting firm where she currently works. Kinser, 47, tried to brand Underly as being a poor manager of the Department of Public Instruction and keyed in on her overhaul of state achievement standards last year. Underly said that was done to better reflect what students are learning now, but the change was met with bipartisan opposition including from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who was previously state superintendent himself. Evers has not made an endorsement in the race. Kinser said the new standards lowered the bar for students and made it more difficult to evaluate how schools and districts are performing over time. Underly portrayed Kinser as nothing more than a lobbyist who doesn't care about public education. Kinser supports the state's private school voucher and charter school program, which Democrats and Underly oppose on the grounds that such programs siphon needed money away from public schools. Longtime voter ID law could be enshrined in state constitution Wisconsin's photo ID requirement for voting would be elevated from state law to constitutional amendment under a proposal placed on the ballot by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Even if voters say no to that, the requirement, which has been on the books since 2011, will remain in place as law. It went into effect permanently in 2016 after a series of unsuccessful lawsuits. Republicans pitched the amendment it as a way to bolster election security and protect the law from being overturned in court. Democratic opponents argued that photo ID requirements are often enforced unfairly, making voting more difficult for people of color, disabled people and poor people. If voters pass the measure, it would make it more difficult for a future Legislature controlled by Democrats to change the law. Any constitutional amendment must be approved in two consecutive legislative sessions and by a statewide popular vote. Wisconsin is one of nine states where people must present photo ID to vote, and its requirement is the nation's strictest, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Thirty-six states have laws requiring or requesting that voters show some sort of identification, according to the NCSL.
Associated Press
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Wisconsin voters to choose top education official and consider voter ID amendment
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's top education official, who will guide policies affecting K-12 schools during President Donald Trump's second term, will be elected Tuesday in a race between the teachers union-backed incumbent and a Republican-supported critic. The electorate will also decide whether to enshrine a voter ID law in the state constitution. Both contests have sharp partisan divisions, though they have drawn far less spending and national attention than the race for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Here's a look at the two contests: Incumbent education leader backed by unions, Democrats faces GOP choice The race to lead the state Department of Public Instruction pits incumbent Jill Underly, who is backed by Democrats and the teachers union, against consultant Brittany Kinser, a supporter of the private school voucher program who is endorsed by Republicans but calls herself a moderate. Wisconsin is the only state where voters elect the top education official but there is no state board of education. That gives the superintendent broad authority to oversee education policy, from dispersing school funding to managing teacher licensing. The winner will take office at a time when test scores are still recovering from the pandemic, the achievement gap between white and Black students remains the worst in the country and more schools are asking voters to raise property taxes to pay for operations. Underly's education career began in 1999 as a high school social studies teacher in Indiana. She moved to Wisconsin in 2005 and worked for five years at the state education department. She also was principal of Pecatonica Elementary School for a year before becoming district administrator. Underly, 47, was elected state superintendent in 2021 and was endorsed by the union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, as well as the Wisconsin Democratic Party and numerous Democratic officeholders. Kinser, whose backers include the Wisconsin Republican Party and former Republican Govs. Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker, is vying to become the first GOP-affiliated person to hold the superintendent position in more than 30 years. She worked for almost 10 years as a special education teacher and instructional coach in Chicago Public Schools. After that she spent 15 years at public charter schools in Chicago, California and Milwaukee. In the Milwaukee area, Kinser worked for Rocketship schools, part of a national network of public charter institutions, and became its executive director for the region. In 2022 she left Rocketship for City Forward Collective, a Milwaukee nonprofit that advocates for charter and voucher schools. She also founded a consulting firm where she currently works. Kinser, 47, tried to brand Underly as being a poor manager of the Department of Public Instruction and keyed in on her overhaul of state achievement standards last year. Underly said that was done to better reflect what students are learning now, but the change was met with bipartisan opposition including from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who was previously state superintendent himself. Evers has not made an endorsement in the race. Kinser said the new standards lowered the bar for students and made it more difficult to evaluate how schools and districts are performing over time. Underly portrayed Kinser as nothing more than a lobbyist who doesn't care about public education. Kinser supports the state's private school voucher and charter school program, which Democrats and Underly oppose on the grounds that such programs siphon needed money away from public schools. Longtime voter ID law could be enshrined in state constitution Wisconsin's photo ID requirement for voting would be elevated from state law to constitutional amendment under a proposal placed on the ballot by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Even if voters say no to that, the requirement, which has been on the books since 2011, will remain in place as law. It went into effect permanently in 2016 after a series of unsuccessful lawsuits. Republicans pitched the amendment it as a way to bolster election security and protect the law from being overturned in court. Democratic opponents argued that photo ID requirements are often enforced unfairly, making voting more difficult for people of color, disabled people and poor people. If voters pass the measure, it would make it more difficult for a future Legislature controlled by Democrats to change the law. Any constitutional amendment must be approved in two consecutive legislative sessions and by a statewide popular vote. Wisconsin is one of nine states where people must present photo ID to vote, and its requirement is the nation's strictest, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Thirty-six states have laws requiring or requesting that voters show some sort of identification, according to the NCSL.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House panel recesses as GOP leaders weigh blocking proxy voting for new parents
The House Rules Committee went into recess on Monday night without taking action that would tee up a way for House Republican leaders to block Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) from forcing a vote on allowing new parents to vote by proxy. The panel is scheduled to reconvene at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, when it will unveil and pass a rule that will officially reveal if GOP leaders will play hardball in trying to defeat the proposal. Luna and others are waiting for the official play call from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who has been having discussions with members over the last week about how to handle the matter — and has not convinced a defiant Luna to back down. Luna earlier this month defied leadership and oversaw a successful discharge petition — getting signatures from over 200 Democrats and 11 other Republicans — that could allow her to use privileged status to force floor action on a resolution to allow members who give birth or lawmakers whose spouses give birth to designate another member to vote on their behalf for 12 weeks. But Luna's one-time allies in the House Freedom Caucus have been pushing Johnson to play legislative hardball to stop it from moving forward. One proposal being discussed is to 'turn off' the discharge petition privilege that would allow Luna to force a vote, attaching that mechanism to a rule resolution that would tee up consideration for other Republican priorities. Such a move would mean that those who wanted to support Luna by voting against the rule would also be blocking speedy consideration of those priorities. While all Democrats are expected to vote against the rule, it is unclear if Luna would have the support from Republicans to defeat such a gambit and allow her proxy voting proposal to move forward. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Monday night that 'there's still some conversations being had' on how to handle the proxy voting matter, and the decision about whether to add language to 'turn off' privilege was not final. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the Rules Committee, said Monday that he was not sure what the plan was on whether the rule would address the proxy voting issue. The exact language and proposal would move through the House Rules Committee, which on Monday night completed the hearing portion of Republican-supported proposals: The No Rogue Rulings Act, which would limit the power of federal judges to impose nationwide injunctions like those that have blocked Trump administration actions; and the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Luna is furious at the prospect of the leadership move — and by her fellow Freedom Caucus working against her, leading her to leave the group. In her letter announcing her departure from the hardline group, Luna wrote: 'I cannot remain part of a caucus where a select few operate outside its guidelines, misuse its name, broker backroom deals that undermine its core values and where the lines of compromise and transaction are blurred, disparage me to the press, and encourage misrepresentation of me to the American people.' House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Monday night that Luna had to 'team up with mostly Democrats, 90 percent Democrats, who are in the minority' to set her up to trigger a vote on proxy voting for new parents. 'We're in the majority on the Republican side, and want to be able to move the Republican agenda. And you know, I'd rather not move Pelosi policies over the majority,' Scalise said. Mychael Schnell contributed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
