MADISON, WI – Lobbyist Brittany Kinser is once again standing with Republican politicians instead of Wisconsin’s students and teachers. This time, she’s backing a reckless GOP bill that would force Wisconsin schools back into using the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) as a benchmark—despite the fact that NAEP is currently being dismantled by the Trump administration.
“Lobbyist Brittany Kinser has spent years working against Wisconsin’s public schools, and now she’s doubling down by supporting this disastrous Republican plan,” said Jorna Taylor, campaign manager for Underly for Wisconsin. “She’s not standing with students, families, or educators—she’s standing with the same politicians who have spent years trying to defund and weaken public education.”
This is nothing new for Kinser. She has:
- Lobbied to drain money from Wisconsin public schools and funnel it into private schools
- Never held a Wisconsin teacher license—yet worked to eliminate licensing requirements for Wisconsin educators
- Supported dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, which oversees key funding and protections for all Wisconsin students
Now, she’s backing Republican efforts to tie Wisconsin schools to a collapsing federal test. The Trump administration’s so-called “DOGE” initiative is slashing federal education evaluations, eliminating key oversight roles, and forcing out the experts responsible for NAEP. Yet Kinser and Wisconsin Republicans want to write this failing test into state law.
“This is a disaster waiting to happen,” said Sen. Kelda Roys, a public school parent who represents a Madison-area state senate district. “Republicans want to lock Wisconsin into a federal test that may not even exist in a few months, and lobbyist Brittany Kinser is cheering them on. That’s not leadership—it’s recklessness.”
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) took responsible action by aligning their school report cards with Wisconsin-based standards, ensuring that Wisconsin assessments actually reflect what’s happening in our classrooms. We are not alone in this decision—Republican-led states like Florida, Texas, and Arkansas have also moved away from NAEP because they recognize that a one-size-fits-all federal test doesn’t serve their students.
But Kinser and her Republican allies refuse to listen. Instead of trusting Wisconsin educators, they are pushing a bill that could lock our schools into a failing national system with no future.
“Brittany Kinser has made her priorities clear,” said Rep. Angelina Cruz, a longtime teacher who now represents an Assembly district in Racine. “She has spent her career working against public schools, against teachers, and against students. Now, she’s siding with Republicans who want to tie our schools to a failing test while dismantling the very agency that oversees it. If she can’t be trusted to stand up for Wisconsin’s education system now, why should voters trust her to lead it?”
