Candidates eager to head schools

BOISE – Just days after state Superintendent of Schools Marilyn Howard announced her upcoming retirement, three candidates have formally announced they’re running for the job and two more are lining up.

State Rep. Steve Smylie, R-Boise, a junior high teacher and son of the late former Gov. Bob Smylie, made his announcement Wednesday surrounded by students and well-wishers at West Junior High.

“I’m coming to you as someone who grew up in a political household, and who understands the collaborative process,” Smylie said. “I chose to make educating young people my career.”

Tom Luna, a Nampa businessman who unsuccessfully challenged Howard in the last election, is kicking off his second GOP campaign for the post with stops around the state this week, including one in Coeur d’Alene today. “A successful superintendent of public instruction must have a wide range of skills in education and the private sector,” Luna said.

Jana Jones, a longtime educator and Howard’s current chief deputy at the state Department of Education, launched her Democratic campaign Tuesday with an announcement on the state Capitol steps – with Howard at her side, endorsing her. “I am confident that she has the teaching and administrative expertise and practical knowledge to be a strong leader and effective advocate for our children and schools,” Howard said.

It doesn’t end there. Coeur d’Alene High School Principal Steve Casey indicated several months ago that he’ll run for state superintendent as a Republican, and state Sen. Bert Marley, D-McCammon, a schoolteacher, also is “definitely thinking about running.”

The primary election is seven months away, but all this interest now can only be a good thing, observers say.

“I’ve always thought the best situation we could have would be two well-qualified candidates, one on each ticket, that would do the job well if elected,” said Jerry Evans, a Republican who served as state superintendent from 1979 to 1995.

“Kids don’t come to school with D’s or R’s on their foreheads, and Republican and Democrat parents alike want their children well-educated.

“So what you want to do is find someone who can be an effective spokesman for children and for schools and knows the business well enough to bring about the kinds of changes we need to be making periodically,” Evans said.

The candidates in the race so far all say they could do that.

Smylie, 52, a four-term Republican state legislator, holds a master’s degree in education and a specialist degree from the University of Idaho in educational administration.

He’s taught school for 28 years, run a profitable roofing and construction business for 25 summers, and worked for collaborative solutions to political disputes in the Legislature.

“It’s a lot like running a parent conference – you can usually tell within the first minutes whether you’re going to make progress,” he said.

“No one can lead Idaho’s schools alone. It is truly a collaborative effort.”

Luna, 46, who in his last race promoted himself as a non-educator who would bring a business approach, earned his minimum-required college degree online from Thomas Edison University just before the last election.

Luna, owner of Scales Unlimited Inc., served on the Nampa School Board for seven years. For the past two years, he has worked on education issues as a senior adviser for the Bush administration.

Luna said his focus will be on “the ABCs of education,” which he defined as accountability, broader local control and choice.

Jones, 53, holds a doctorate in education. She has been a public school teacher, operated her own preschool for 13 years, and was one of the first in the state to integrate children with disabilities into an early childhood program. She worked for the state on early childhood issues before joining the Education Department 16 years ago. She has worked with the state Legislature on everything from child-care regulations to education budgets.

“I’m at the Legislature all the time,” she said. “I’ve been involved. I understand and know how the system works.”

Casey, 56, holds a master’s degree in education and has been principal at Coeur d’Alene High School since 1993.

“I think I can make a difference in education in the state of Idaho after 34 years of being a teacher, coach, principal,” he said. Casey said he expects to formally announce his candidacy by Thanksgiving.

Marley, a third-term state senator, said he expects to make his announcement in mid-November.