Madison, WI – on Tuesday, May 26th, 2020, Dr. Sheila Briggs announced her candidacy for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Briggs began her career as a kindergarten teacher in Madison, where she later served as a principal and school administrator. In 2011, she was appointed to serve as Assistant State Superintendent by then State Superintendent Tony Evers.  She was reappointed to the position by State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor in 2019.  Briggs leads the Division for Academic Excellence.

Briggs’ announcement comes just a few months after Stanford Taylor announced she would not be seeking a new term in office. This is the first time since 2009, that the race will not feature an incumbent.

The following is a statement from Sheila Briggs:

I fell in love with teaching my freshman year of college when I volunteered to tutor a little girl through a community outreach program.  I became absolutely obsessed with figuring out how to help her.  I created materials, I brought games, I made up lessons, and while I can’t remember what finally broke through, I will never forget the look on her face.

That moment, the moment where I could see the learning and joy in her eyes, changed my life forever.  I decided to become a teacher, and I’ve spent every moment of my professional life trying to make an impact on children.

Teaching is the most important and awe inspiring profession in the world.  But right now, we are facing huge challenges.  Many parents and children have really struggled this year with distance learning.  We have unacceptable achievement gaps in our state, and success should not be determined by income, race, or zip code.  We are not meeting the needs of all our kids and we must do better.

I have spent my career in schools, first as a kindergarten teacher, principal, central office administrator and now as Assistant State Superintendent closing gaps and helping educators and students thrive.

I want to continue that work as Wisconsin’s next State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

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