October 20, 2014 – Scott Graf, News Director – Boise State Public Radio –
The Democrat running to be Idaho’s next Superintendent of Public Instruction says funding and low morale are the two biggest issues facing Idaho’s schools.
Jana Jones is running against Republican Sherri Ybarra to replace Tom Luna. Luna has served two terms and announced earlier this year he would not seek a third. Jones lost a close race to Luna in 2006. Jones is a former teacher and currently a consultant. She’s from Idaho Falls, and is considered to be Democrats’ best chance of winning a statewide race in 2014.
Funding for Idaho’s public schools was cut drastically during the Great Recession. The Legislature did increase funding in 2014, but per-student spending remains among the lowest in the country.
“Funding has been hard on our districts’ ability to operate, and provide the kind of education they would like to be providing,” Jones says. “But it’s also been very hard on them to keep the morale up, to keep teachers employed, to recruit people to come to Idaho and work.”