Meet the candidates for state superintendent: Brittany Kinser

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- In a less than one month, voters across Wisconsin will decide which two candidates will advance to the spring election for state superintendent. Three candidates are vying for the position, which oversees public schools across Wisconsin.

Ahead of the Feb. 18 primary election, CBS 58 is profiling each of the three candidates. State Superintendent Jill Underly is seeking a second term. Sauk Prairie Superintendent Jeff Wright was the first declared challenger, and literacy consultant Brittany Kinser officially launched her campaign on Monday.

This series begins with Kinser's first interview since entering the race. With a background that includes time at both public and charter schools, Kinser said the foundation of campaign is pledge to restore the state's previous scoring scale for student testing. 

Last summer, Underly oversaw the Department of Public Instruction's (DPI) move to lower the cut scores that categorize students. Underly said the previous scale, which was aligned with the National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP), was unreasonably strict.

"[Students] were appearing to be doing worse than they really were," Underly said in a September interview. "And so, this will give us a better measure of where kids are."

Kinser said, if elected, she would undo the changes and realign Wisconsin's scoring scale with NAEP standards.

"We need to go back to where we used to be aligned, to NAEP standards," she said. "I agree with what the governor said, that we need to restore and go back to NAEP."

In September, Evers told reporters he disagreed with the decision to lower the cut scores, saying, "I think we need to have as high of standards as possible. I don't think we should be lowering them." Earlier this month, Evers said the DPI should've consulted more people before going through with the changes.

Evers told CBS 58 Tuesday he would not endorse a candidate for state superintendent during the primary, adding he might give an endorsement ahead of the April 1 election between the two remaining candidates.

While Evers withholds his endorsement, the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators has endorsed Wright. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin endorsed Underly in November.

Kinser said she rejects political labels, pushing back on the suggestion she's a moderate or centrist option. She attended both the Republican and Democratic national conventions last year. Her campaign manager is Amy Loudenbeck, a former Republican state legislator.

When asked if she would be comfortable with Republicans fundraising for her campaign, Kinser said, "If anyone who aligns with making sure we're putting our kids first, and we want to restore high standards and ensure kids are learning how to read, write and do math...I will work with anyone and attend a fundraiser from anyone, yeah."

On School Choice

Prior to launching her consulting service, Kinser was CEO of the City Forward Collective, a Milwaukee-based organization that advocates for all schools but has received significant funding from charter and private school voucher advocates. Before that, Kinser oversaw the public charter Rocketship schools in Milwaukee. 

Kinser said she supports Wisconsin's School Choice program, but did not take a position on whether Wisconsin should increase the income limits for voucher eligibility.

"I haven't looked into that directly," she said. "I'm thinking more about what the kids need in the classroom."

On Milwaukee Public Schools

In May, the DPI publicly criticized Milwaukee Public Schools' (MPS) ongoing failure to submit required financial data to the state. The state agency faced scrutiny for not applying pressure to MPS sooner, and a number of Milwaukee parents felt misled the public didn't know MPS was had submitted late and inaccurate data to the state prior to the narrow passage of a $252 million referendum in April.

Kinser was hesitant to criticize the DPI's handling to MPS' financial reporting, but she said as state superintendent, she would be more willing to let the public know if MPS was far behind other districts on submitted required financial records.

"I think we need to make sure that DPI's transparent about what we know, so that we can use that information and make Milwaukee Public Schools a great place for all kids," she said. "I think they could be better about being transparent, so we know what's happening."

On the upcoming state budget

Kinser said she hoped Evers and the Republican-controlled Legislature would prioritize increased funding for special education reimbursement and rural transportation in the next state budget.

Currently, Wisconsin reimburses public K-12 schools for 33% of their special education spending. Underly has asked Evers and lawmakers to increase that reimbursement figure to 90%.

Evers has indicated it's unlikely he'll propose that big of an increase in his executive budget. Kinser also hinted a belief 90% is an unrealistic ask.

"I would want to make sure when, with that, I am talking with others about what is that reimbursement, that is actually something that can happen," she said. "That is a very large jump, so we gotta get past the politics and make sure it's something we can actually get done."

When asked about her ability to work closely with both a Democratic governor and Republican legislative leaders, Kinser said she believed she had established good rapports with both from her time at Rocketship and the City Forward Collective.

"I feel that I do [have] stronger relationships with others, and I feel I have a relationship where I can- yes, I do," she said. "And I think I've shown that in the past, too."

Social issues at schools

Another controversial topic in schools over the past few years has been how administrators should manage relationships with LGBTQ youth and parents.

The U.S. Supreme Court opted not to hear a challenge from parents in a case out of Eau Claire that centered around whether school administrators should be required to notify parents if a student was seeking to transition to a name or gender other than what they were assigned at birth.

Kinser said she believed schools should not refrain from informing parents in such situations.

"I think there should always be a conversation with parents," she said. "I think we need to be talking to our parents."