Education staff changes planned

BOISE – The transition staff for Tom Luna, who begins his job as superintendent of public instruction in January, has notified 20 employees at the Idaho Department of Education that they will be out of a job when he takes office.

“With any transition we are going to bring people into the department to work with, and unfortunately that necessitates the fact that people will not be continuing on after Jan. 1,” Luna told the Idaho Statesman.

Luna, a Republican, said he plans to bring his own people into the department to help make planned changes, which he didn’t reveal. He also declined to name which people were losing their jobs.

“People are understandably upset and disappointed,” said Jennifer Oxley, the department’s spokeswoman. “This is a sad day for a lot of people.”

Oxley said that Jana Jones, the deputy to outgoing Superintendent Marilyn Howard, was not among those told her job would end. However, Oxley said Jones plans to resign before the end of the year.

Luna narrowly defeated Jones to replace Howard in November’s election.

Meanwhile, Gov.-elect C.L. “Butch” Otter reappointed 12 agency heads from the administration of outgoing Gov. Jim Risch on Friday, including leaders of two of the largest state departments.

“They come with high recommendations from members of my transition team, whose help and insights I appreciate throughout this process,” Otter said in a statement. “With the help of these folks, Idahoans can be confident that effective and efficient public servants are guiding the day-to-day work of my administration.”