Who’s Behind School Superintendent Candidates?

School classroom. Image by Wokandapix on Pixabay

Here are the top contributors between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1 to the seven candidates running for state school superintendent in next Tuesday’s primary. (Top contributors from the previous reporting period are here.)

The top two finishers will be up for a four-year term as state school superintendent on the April 6 ballot. The winner succeeds Carolyn Stanford Taylor, who is not running for election. Taylor was appointed state school superintendent in 2019 to fill out of the term of Tony Evers after he became governor.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the candidates and their Jan. 1 – Feb. 1, 2021 campaign stats and top contributors:

Deborah Kerr, a retired Brown Deer School District superintendent, raised $28,229 and had $19,861 in her campaign account as of Feb. 1. Her top contributors were:

Arthur Dantchik, of Gladwyne, Penn., a trader and founder of Susquehanna International Group, $15,000,

George and Susan Mitchell, of Fountain Hills, Ariz., former School Choice Wisconsin leaders, $2,000,

Nancy Einhorn, of Milwaukee, Capital Midwest Fund, $2,000.

Sheila Briggs, an assistant state school superintendent, raised $19,403 and had $30,498 in her campaign account as of Feb. 1. Her top contributors were:

Richard Halverson, of Madison, a University of Wisconsin (UW) professor, $750,

Hugh Greeley, of Elkhorn, founder of HG Healthcare Consultants, $500.

Jill Underly, Pecatonica Area School District superintendent, raised $17,960 and had $30,253 in her campaign account on Feb. 1. Her top contributors were:

Charles Semko, of Munster, Ind., $2,500,

Julie Underwood, of Madison, former dean of the UW School of Education, $500,

Virginia Bean, of Argyle, retired, $500,

Mandee Alevizos, of La Porte, Ind., an Edward Jones financial advisor, $500.

Shandowlyon Hendricks-Williams, director of Gov. Tony Evers’ Milwaukee office, raised $12,402 and had $2,203 in her campaign account as of Feb. 1. Her top contributors were:

Barbara Hendricks, of Hawthorne, Calif., retired, $1,500,

Rogers Onick, of Milwaukee, a retired Milwaukee Public Schools principal, $1,000,

In addition, Hendricks-Williams loaned her campaign $2,500.

Troy Gunderson, retired West Salem School District superintendent, raised $11,750 and had $20,161 in his campaign coffers on Feb. 1. His top contributor was:

Richard Dart, of Maiden Rock, a retired research clinician, $500,

In addition, Gunderson made $4,150 in in-kind contributions to his campaign.

Joe Fenrick, a Fond du Lac High School science teacher, raised $3,107 and had $7,846 in his campaign account on Feb. 1. His top contributors were:

Mary Hayes, a Fond du Lac County Board supervisor, $660,

Gary Goyke, a Madison lobbyist, $200,

Sean Gussick, of Indianapolis, Ind., an Indiana University School of Medicine professor, $200.

Steve Krull, principal of the Garland Elementary School in Milwaukee, raised $1,086 and had $2,188 in his campaign account as of Feb. 1. His top contributor was:

Stephen Gallam, of Milwaukee, founder of Milwaukee Area Composers and Artists, $150,

In addition, Krull contributed $200 to his campaign.

The employer information for these large donors was added by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign because campaign finance laws effective since 2016 do not require candidates to make that contributor information available to the public. Previous state law required candidates to identify the employers and occupations of individuals who contributed more than $100 annually.

To view how much the candidates have raised and spent, their contributors since last year, and their Statements of Economic Interest, please visit the Campaign 2021  feature on the Democracy Campaign’s website.