Sheila Briggs

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Sheila Briggs

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

February 16, 2021

Education

Bachelor's

University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1991

Graduate

Cardinal Stritch University, 2001

Ph.D

University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2012

Personal

Birthplace

Champaign, Ill.

Profession

Assistant state superintendent

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Sheila Briggs ran for election for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction. She lost in the primary on February 16, 2021.

Briggs completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Sheila Briggs was born in Champaign, Illinois. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1991, a master's degree from Cardinal Stritch University in 2001, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 2012. Briggs' career experience includes working as the assistant state superintendent for the Department of Public Instruction and as an administrator and teacher with the Madison Metropolitan School District. She was the director of state and federal programs for the district and served as the lead elementary principal. She also taught kindergarten.

Elections

2021

See also: Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2021

General election

General election for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction

Jill Underly defeated Deborah Kerr in the general election for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction on April 6, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jill Underly (Nonpartisan)	57.6	526,406
		Deborah Kerr (Nonpartisan)	42.3	386,543
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	1,420

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 914,369
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction

The following candidates ran in the primary for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction on February 16, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jill Underly (Nonpartisan)	27.2	88,796
✔		Deborah Kerr (Nonpartisan)	26.4	86,174
		Sheila Briggs (Nonpartisan)	15.6	50,815
		Shandowlyon Hendricks Reaves (Nonpartisan)	11.3	36,850
		Troy Gunderson (Nonpartisan)	8.4	27,452
		Steve Krull (Nonpartisan)	6.3	20,543
	Submit photo	Joe Fenrick (Nonpartisan)	4.4	14,507
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	937

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 326,074
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Briggs' endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sheila Briggs completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Briggs' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I began my 30-year career as a kindergarten teacher. Then, I became a Principal and later worked at the Madison district office as an administrator, supporting 32 elementary school principals. I couldn't have imagined leaving my district until Tony Evers called me in 2011 and asked me to join him at DPI as Assistant State Superintendent. I jumped at the opportunity and was then re-appointed by Carolyn Stanford Taylor in 2019 when he became our Governor.

I've been in the State Superintendent's cabinet for the last 10 years. I have deep relationships across the state, I know how to work with the other agencies in state government to help our schools get the resources they need.

We all know that we have an immensely challenging time ahead of us, but I'll be ready to lead the department on day 1.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I want us to stop chasing test scores. Education is more than math and reading. And if we do this right-increased test results will be a by-product of taking better care of our kids.
• We need to improve working conditions in the classroom. Act 10 was not a gift, it was terrible. We have to stop demonizing our teachers.
• The way we fund public schools is NOT working. Our current funding formula provides property tax relief, it does NOT ensure that kids or teachers have what they need to be successful.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Over the past decade, I've seen first-hand the quality and caliber of DPI's staff. I know where things are working well, and I know where things need to change. I believe this is a moment in education when we must improve what is working, leave behind what is not, and move forward toward something better. I want to re-evaluate Wisconsin's approach in three key areas: the outcomes we value for our kids, the role of the teacher, and the structure of the school.

In order to make these changes and advocate for our kids, our teachers, and our public schools, the Department must be proactive in addressing policy changes that are aligned with a coherent and bold agenda.

I'm running to be Wisconsin's next State Superintendent so I can fight for all of our kids. There are some big challenges ahead of us, but I'll be ready to lead on Day 1.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

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