Education consultant Brittany Kinser is running to lead the state education department. But she would be unable to teach in a classroom or work as principal in a Wisconsin public school.
Kinser has never had a Wisconsin teacher’s license, and her administrator’s license lapsed last summer, according to state records. Her campaign said it doesn’t matter because the state superintendent job doesn’t require officeholders to have an educator’s license.
“Brittany Kinser is more than qualified to be superintendent; with 25 years of experience as a special education teacher, principal, education consultant, and CEO of a Milwaukee education advocacy nonprofit,” Kinser campaign manager Amy Loudenbeck said in a statement. “More importantly, she meets all the requirements necessary to run for office.”
Kinser’s two challengers, incumbent Jill Underly and Sauk Prairie School District Superintendent Jeff Wright, said her expired license raises questions about whether she’s fit to lead the state Department of Public Instruction.
“Brittany Kinser’s glaring lack of qualifications speaks for itself,” Underly campaign manager Jorna Taylor said in a statement. “She’s never held a Wisconsin teaching license, and her expired administrator license underscores just how little direct experience she has with the very public education system she claims she’s ready to oversee. The State Superintendent’s job isn’t theoretical — it’s about real leadership, real accountability, and a deep understanding of the challenges facing Wisconsin’s public schools.”
The primary is Feb. 18. The top two candidates will advance to the April 1 election.
The race is officially nonpartisan, though partisan groups endorse candidates. Underly and Wright are both Democrats. Kinser is backed by conservatives, appearing alongside state Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel at events. She calls herself a moderate who has voted for candidates from both sides of the aisle.
Neither the state Constitution nor state law requires the state superintendent to hold an active teacher’s license, administrator’s license or any other DPI-issued license, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau.
But it’s unusual for those seeking the position to lack an active license. All seven candidates who ran for state superintendent in the previous election, for example, had an active educator’s license in 2021, according to a review of state records. So did Gov. Tony Evers, who led the DPI from 2009 through 2018.
Kinser’s campaign declined to make her available for an interview to answer questions about why she let her administrator’s license lapse and whether she planned to renew it.
“Bureaucrats like Jeff Wright and Jill Underly have given us a state where only 3 out of 10 kids are deemed college- or career-ready,” Loudenbeck said in the statement. “Instead of focusing on false political attacks from a two-time failed candidate, let’s focus on helping Wisconsin kids find success in and out of the classroom.”
The “two-time failed candidate” refers to Wright, who ran twice for state Assembly. He narrowly lost by a couple hundreds votes in both 2016 and in 2018.
“Without a single valid license, I couldn’t hire Brittany Kinser if she walked into my district to be a substitute teacher, let alone a teacher, principal or superintendent,” Wright said in a statement. “I think someone applying with Wisconsin voters to be the state superintendent should at least have a valid license to work in our public schools.”
More:Wisconsin state superintendent voter guide for spring 2025 primary: What 3 candidates say about ICE, school police, referendums and more
Kinser had a five-year administrator’s license from 2014 to 2019, according to state records. It was renewed for another five years through June 30, 2024.
Both Wright and Underly have a “lifetime license,” which requires the license holder to provide services directly to students or provide administrative oversight during the last five years.
In a recent campaign mailer, Kinser called herself a teacher, principal and literacy advocate. Her LinkedIn page shows the majority of her educational experience took place outside Wisconsin. Kinser was a teacher and instructional coach in Chicago public schools for nine years, an instructional leader for a Chicago charter school network for 3½ years and a principal in a California charter school for 1½ years.
Kinser’s Wisconsin career began in 2013 with Rocketship schools, part of a national network of public charter schools, according to the LinkedIn page. She was principal for 2½ years before being promoted to director of schools and to executive director of the Milwaukee region.
Kinser left Rocketship in 2022 for a job with City Forward Collective, a Milwaukee education nonprofit that advocates for charter and voucher schools, and promotes increased accountability. That same year, she founded Kinser Consulting, an education consulting firm, where she currently works.
Kelly Meyerhofer covers higher education in Wisconsin. Contact her at [email protected] or 414-223-5168. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @KellyMeyerhofer.
This story has been updated to add video.
link
More Stories
Vietnamese parents spend up to $39,000 on US study consultancy services
Guiding Students Towards a Brighter Future
Intreensic to transform payments education, consulting in Africa