Let’s make more political points!

How else can we hold Jill Underly accountable?

Can’t help but imagine The Capital Times, more progressive than Zohran Mamdani in a keffiyah, wishes it had exposed Republican wrong-doing instead of getting the goods on the state’s hyper-Woke school marm, Jill Underly. But it committed some real journalism and now it has to live with its success.

The Leftist news outlet exposed the managerial incompetence, bureaucratic cover-up, and — most explosive of all — tacit toleration of child sexual abuse in the WI Department of Public Instruction. All committed under the un-watchful eye of Superintendent Underly, a MAGA-hating progressive bought by the Democrat(ic) party (to the tune of $1,141,632 — 80% of her total campaign funding), supported by the teachers union, and endorsed by The Capital Times itself. As the news outlet reported:  

The WI Department of Public Instruction investigated more than 200 Wisconsin teachers, aides, substitutes, and administrators from 2018 to 2023 who were accused of sexual misconduct or grooming behaviors toward students, but the department never reported those incidents to the public. … Not surprisingly, some legislative Republicans are attempting to use the results of the newspaper’s probe to make political points.

Those darn Republicans!

Make political points, will they?! One would hope so! Because her office IS and ought to be po-lit-i-cal. Supt. Underly holds a constitutional office elected by the people on a statewide ballot. Endorsed by her predecessor at the Dept. of Public Instruction, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat. The office may be officially non-partisan (Wink, wink!), but it is certainly political. Now watch The Capital Times dance around the consequences of its own reportage:

Some have used the Cap Times’ revelations to call for Underly to resign. But this is about so much more than plain old politics. It’s a matter of the public having confidence that the officials in charge of our schools are working to keep children safe and share with the public how they’re doing so.

Hellz bellz, The Capital Times should use its own revelations to call for Underly to resign. Should have done so after the superintendent of public instruction was caught cooking the books to hide the fact that more students under her watch are failing. “Plain old politics” demands that Jill Underly show up before a legislative investigatory committee. Instead, this public official — elected for another 4-year term in April 2025 — blew them off. 

→ Republicans blast Superintendent’s silence at grooming hearing

Stonewalling the public

The CT asked the state’s 20 largest school districts to show how they protect students from sexual abuse. All 20 stonewalled. Some demanded ridiculous amounts of money before they would comply. (At least the Madison schools asked only $4,500; Janesville schools demanded $245,000.)

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Jill Underly and the public school system (as we said in Madison’s public schools are progressive) belie the progressive faith in Big Gummint. We say again, the office should be a gubernatorial cabinet appointment, at the same table as transportation and natural resources. If it were, maybe even Tony Evers would hand her the pink slip. Until then, if The Capital Times were really concerned about keeping children safe, it would demand Jill Underly resign.

Is this another reason for school choice?