WISCONSIN — The Republican-controlled Assembly wants State Superintendent Jill Underly to address a recent report by The Capital Times.

The news outlet’s year-long investigation examined the Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) handling of investigations into educator misconduct.

An Assembly committee is holding a hearing on Thursday in response to the paper’s investigation, and Underly is invited to testify.

The report looked at the numbers from 2018 to 2023. Through a series of open records requests, the investigation found that in that five-year period, DPI investigated 461 educators for all forms of misconduct, including sexual. 

There was no probable cause found in 178 cases. A total of 161 educators voluntarily surrendered their licenses.  DPI revoked 66 licenses.

The Cap Times report also states that DPI did not make the findings of these investigations readily available to the public.

Investigative Reporter Danielle DuClos conducted the investigation into DPI.

Her findings also showed that 204 educators, including teachers and administrators, were investigated by DPI for alleged sexual misconduct and grooming from 2018 to 2023.   

In an interview about her report, DuClos told Spectrum News that her research showed 60 of those 204 educators kept their teaching licenses. 

“The most surprising thing was the lack of data on how often teachers and educators are being investigated for allegations of grooming and sexual misconduct, and that’s really what prompted this reporting project, to look at how often that is happening,” DuClos said. “We asked that question and started digging into records and really trying to answer the prevalence question.”

DuClos said her research showed at least 44% of DPI’s investigations since 2018 had to do with allegations of educator sexual misconduct, or grooming.

“We say at least 44% because there are about one fifth of the cases we reviewed where we weren’t able to categorize the conduct, and that was about 100 of those cases,” DuClos added.

Of the 204 educators investigated on accusations of sexual misconduct, DuClos said her findings revealed that more than 80 of them voluntarily surrendered their teaching licenses, the most common way educators lose their teaching credentials in Wisconsin across all types of misconduct.

The year-long investigation yielded a mountain of documents. DuClos said this included requesting, via open records, DPI’s internal tracking sheet for how they monitor these investigations.

“We also got a document that had case note summaries going back to about 2019 through part of 2022 that had notes from the department about what the investigations were like,” she said.

DuClos conducted her investigation by also cross-referencing with media reports, school district records and court records to fill in any missing information, she said.

In July, The Cap Times asked for about 100 individual educator case files from DPI via another open records request. DuClos said that request has yet to be fulfilled.

State Superintendent Underly released the following statement last Friday, after The Cap Times published its investigation:

“Student safety is the foundation of everything that we do in education. Every allegation of educator misconduct is treated with the highest level of seriousness and is thoroughly investigated by the Department of Public Instruction.

“Any suggestion that the DPI withholds information from the public is categorically false. Records are released in accordance with open records laws, and educator license statuses are publicly available to anyone on the DPI’s website.

“Voluntary surrenders of licensure are not loopholes. They are permanent, legally binding agreements that remove harmful individuals from the classroom and prevent them from teaching. In many cases, they also protect victims from additional trauma.

“Journalism is the foundation of our democracy. But inaccurate reporting and sensationalism that ignores facts, distorts the truth, and omits key context has no place.

“This reporting failed to acknowledge critical facts and the legal boundaries in which the DPI operates. I urge The Capital Times to issue a prompt correction to restore public trust and ensure an accurate understanding of our work to protect students.”

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The Universities of Wisconsin announced Wednesday that enrollment is up for the third straight year thanks to a record number of freshmen enrolling in the system.

Enrollment across the universities for Fall 2025 topped out at 164,626 students, an increase of 190 students from Fall 2024.

This year’s enrollment numbers mark the first time enrollment has increased three years in a row since 2010.

The universities experienced a 5.5% increase, or 1,033 students, in Wisconsin resident new freshmen, and nine of the 13 universities experienced a jump in enrollment numbers.

“This is a moment worth celebrating,” said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. “Three years of sustained growth shows that students and families see the Universities of Wisconsin as a smart investment in themselves and in Wisconsin’s future. It will help Wisconsin win the war for talent.”

For the increase, Rothman credits the Direct Admit Wisconsin program and the 2025 Wisconsin Tuition Promise. These programs, funded through the universities and Ascendium, helped show a 9% enrollment increase at seven participating universities.

“Direct Admit Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Tuition Promise have opened doors for more students across the state,” Rothman explained. “These initiatives are driving broad-based growth that reflects our commitment to serving all Wisconsinites.”

Overall enrollment numbers were slowed by a decline of 7.6% in international students.

Data shows UW-Madison has the most students, with 51,481 enrolled for the Fall 2025 semester. UW Superior is the smallest, with 2,872 enrolled students.

Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2025 WMTV. All rights reserved.

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The youngest candidate in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race is a 22-year-old college student who says he wants to represent people tired of career politicians.

Zachary Roper, a political science major at Carthage College, is running for governor after an unsuccessful bid for Assembly in 2024. He says his professors encouraged him to seek the state’s top executive position.

Vanessa Kjeldsen: Why do you want to be governor?

Zachary Roper: I want to be governor because I want to represent the people of Wisconsin. I feel that the people have just had career politicians their entire life and we really need to get new leadership in the office.

VK: What would be your top priority as governor?

ZR: I have kind of two top priorities, but the top one would be education. I want to get more money into the schools… And then the other one is bipartisanship. We need to work together with the other side, reach across the aisle.

VK: You are the youngest candidate in this race. What perspective does that bring?

ZR: It brings a new perspective. I think many people overlook me for being a 22-year-old college student but it brings a new perspective to the young people.

VK: You previously ran unsuccessfully for Assembly. Now you’re running for the top executive position in this state. Why not run for something smaller first?

ZR: I have been asked that a lot, actually. I’ve been asked that numerous amount of times. My opponent, when I lost in 2024, actually said, you know, maybe run for city council. But my professors at the end of last year, sat me down and said, you have a vision for the state that most others do not at this time. We think you should try running for governor.

VK: So it was your professors at college that inspired you to run?

ZR: Yes, it was.

VK: How is balancing campaign season with your college classes?

ZR: It’s actually quite fun. My professors think it’s like a fun thing, though. They sometimes call me out. They’re like, hey, Zach, you know, you can use this for your campaign. I’m like, oh, I’ll think about it. I’ll think about it.

VK: What specifically would you change from the Evers administration?

ZR: The Evers administration has been focusing too hard on what Republicans want to do… The Republicans have controlled the new budget, and that to me was not a good thing.

VK: It is a Republican-controlled legislature. That makes it difficult for budget negotiations for a Democratic governor. How would you have worked through that differently than Evers did?

ZR: I would have asked them what concessions can they give. And if they came back to me with a list of concessions that they can give, I can come back with the concessions I can give.

VK: Do you expect to stay in the primary through August? Or is there a time that you would maybe drop out, endorse another Democrat?

ZR: I have thought about maybe dropping out and endorsing another candidate… I just haven’t seen a candidate that really stands out to me at this point.

VK: What’s your dream job?

ZR: Dream job? President, aiming for the top, as my parents always say.

Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2025 WMTV. All rights reserved.