The Center Square) – Milwaukee voters have a favorable opinion of Gov. Tony Evers and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson but more are neutral or have never heard of Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Jill Underly than favor her, according to a new poll.
Underly was thought of favorably by 23%, unfavorably by 21% while 28% were neutral and 28% had never heard of Underly in the poll from City Forward Collective, a a school choice organization.
The poll also showed that 46% have an unfavorable opinion of Milwaukee schools while 33% were favorable.
The poll surveyed 502 registered Milwaukee voters through Change Research between Feb 4 and 8.
Underly is facing a Feb. 18 primary challenge from Jeff Wright and Brittany Kinser. The top two candidates will be on the April 1 ballot.
“State Superintendent Jill Underly and DPI have missed the mark: lowering the bar to mask unacceptable outcomes for Milwaukee’s students and then repeatedly deceiving the public while abdicating responsibility and shifting blame,” City Forward Collective Executive Director Colleston Morgan said.
A pair of Republican legislators have filed a bill that would require DPI to reverse its moves to lower report card standards for Wisconsin schools.
The legislation would reset the K-12 school report card standards of 2019-20, makes grades 3-8 standards the same as those set by the National Assessment of Education Progress and would make the high school testing standards the same as those from 2021-22.
