Rural educator enters race for state schools superintendent

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Rural educator Jill Underly said Thursday she will run for state schools superintendent next spring.

Underly has served as superintendent for the Pecatonica Area School District since 2015. Prior to that she worked as an assistant director at the state Department of Public Instruction, an academic advisor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and as a high school teacher. She said in a statement declaring her candidacy that she knew she wanted to be a teacher when she was nine years old.

Voters will pick the state's next superintendent in an April 2021 general election. Incumbent state Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor announced in January she won't run, marking the first time since 2009 the race won't feature an incumbent. Tony Evers picked Taylor to succeed him as superintendent in January 2019 after he won election as governor.

The race is officially nonpartisan.