Map: A Closer Look at Wisconsin's 2021 State Superintendent Election Results The vote for Jill Underly over Deborah Kerr in the election to lead the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction reflected the partisan nature of the race to some degree, but there were also several divergences from typical geographic patterns. Credit: Illustration by Kristian Knutsen, original photo via Underly for Wisconsin) Jill Underly defeated Deborah Kerr by a landslide margin for State Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin in the April 6, 2021 election. Underly, who has been superintendent of the Pecatonica Area School District for six years, received 586,286 votes, or 57.66% of the total, while Kerr, who retired as superintendent of the School District of Brown Deer in 2020, received 386,392 votes, or 42.34% of the total, as reported by the Associated Press.