The larger concern is less about election mechanics and more about institutional behavior.
For many Wisconsin families and local officials, DPI increasingly appears less like a responsive public agency and more like a distant authority issuing directives from Madison. Frustrations over guidance, priorities, and regulatory tone are no longer rare complaints. They have become common refrains.
Any large bureaucracy, left largely to itself, tends to turn inward and outside voices carry less weight.
Wisconsin’s constitutional structure has reinforced precisely those conditions. DPI’s separation from the cabinet, coupled with diffuse accountability, has fostered a department culture that many citizens view as insulated from ordinary voters and everyday classroom realities.
Public education is meant to serve families and communities. It cannot afford to feel detached from either.
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Jill Underly, Tony Evers, Ben Jones and Wisconsin DPI Influence, Open Records, Non Outcomes & Sausage Making