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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Rivals for Idaho schools chief debate

Jana Jones and Sherri Ybarra prepare to debate at the City Club of Boise on Friday (Betsy Russell)
BOISE – The two women vying to be Idaho’s next state schools chief staked out similar ground in Friday on involving stakeholders – from teachers and parents to principals, local superintendents and the business community – in how Idaho’s schools operate. But they differed on who’s better qualified to accomplish that – Democrat Jana Jones, the former chief deputy state superintendent, or Republican Sherri Ybarra, a school administrator from Mountain Home. Jones noted that her experience stretches from the classroom to statewide issues and beyond; most recently, she’s worked as an education consultant for a national firm. She said Ybarra’s only worked in a single school district. Ybarra, whose almost 20 years of experience are dwarfed by Jones’ more than 40, countered that she considers that a plus. “I have the energy level and the enthusiasm and the skill set,” Ybarra told an audience of more than 250 at the City Club of Boise. “I am in the prime of my career.” Longtime former GOP state Superintendent Jerry Evans, who hasn’t endorsed either candidate, was in the audience. He said he was surprised that Ybarra “ducked the question” when asked whether she’d push to collect more of the sales taxes owed on online purchases to better fund schools. “I thought they both would say, ‘We ought to explore every opportunity to come up with money for our state’s schools,’” Evans said. “I think when you’re starving to death, you look at every opportunity to find something for that table.” Current GOP Superintendent Tom Luna has been advocating collecting more of those already-owed taxes for the past several years as a way to increase funding for schools, though lawmakers haven’t acted; Idaho requires the taxes be paid, but there’s little enforcement. Idahoans are supposed to report their online purchases and pay the taxes after the fact on their state income tax returns, but few do. “I don’t think that there’s a superintendent in this room that wouldn’t want more money for education,” Ybarra said. “If I had a humongous pot of money that was never-ending, it would never be enough. But … it is the responsibility of the legislators to decide the tax formula, and how they provide a thorough education. And I will be a champion and standing alongside them to make sure that that happens, adequate funding in education.” Jones said, “This has been discussed several times in our Legislature, and it’s something that I think we absolutely should explore and take a look at. Again, the legislators are the ones who decide what we tax, what we don’t tax, where we cut, where we don’t cut. But it’s really critical that we make Idaho’s public schools and our children our No. 1 priority, and as a state superintendent I will strongly advocate for those kids to be No. 1 up front with every legislator.” She added, “I will advocate and work with our Legislature on any way that we can ensure that we have funding for our public schools going forward.” Ybarra said she wants to ensure “adequate funding” for schools. When pressed as to what that means, she listed what she said doesn’t meet that bar: Four-day school weeks, which dozens of Idaho school districts have now imposed; large class sizes; and a lack of classroom supplies. Jones said, “Our schools are in real crisis. … We can do better and we must do better.” “I know what it takes to get Idaho schools back on track and moving forward again,” she said. “We can’t afford to continue down the path that we have been. The past eight years have been very, very difficult for our kids and for our teachers.” She slammed Ybarra for not voting in the 2012 general election in which Idahoans overwhelmingly rejected a trio of controversial school reform laws that Luna had pushed, saying it was the biggest education issue Idaho faced in the past two decades. “Being part of that process was really important,” Jones said. Ybarra said, “Everyone’s missed an election once in a while.” She said her priorities include making sure students have “21st century abilities,” including speaking, writing, problem-solving and technological skills; a safe and supportive environment for students and teachers; and “having a testing system that takes a motion picture of growth over time, not just a snapshot. … My platform is proven to work and I would like to focus on the future.” Jones said her priorities include “safe schools, great teachers, modern, up-to-date classrooms that have technology that supports our students and helps enhance their instruction,” along with “strong, rigorous curriculum that prepares our students for the future of their choice.” But, she said, “What I want most of all is for us to start feeling good about our schools again. Restoring that hope and optimism will require firm leadership, but more importantly, leadership you can trust.”