Jana Jones
A candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of Idaho in the 2014 Nov. 4 Idaho General Election
Party: Democratic
City: Idaho Falls, Idaho
Occupation: Former chief deputy state school superintendent
Vice president for K-12 education practice at Maximus, a national consulting firm. She has a doctorate in education, taught school in Idaho Falls for 10 years, and operated a private school that was the state’s first to fully integrate children with disabilities, before she joined the state Department of Education, serving under three superintendents and rising to chief deputy under Superintendent Marilyn Howard. She also headed Gov. Cecil Andrus’ Office for Children.
Contact information
Race Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Sherri Ybarra (R) | 216,961 | 50.67% |
| Jana Jones (D) | 211,246 | 49.33% |
Related Coverage
Otter retains office; Ybarra holds slim lead
BOISE – Idaho GOP Gov. Butch Otter won a rare third term Tuesday over Democratic challenger A.J. Balukoff after a hard-fought race, while the race for state superintendent of schools was too close to call at press time. First-time Republican candidate Sherri Ybarra narrowly led Democrat Jana Jones, a former chief deputy state superintendent, in early returns in the superintendent’s race, the state’s closest race.
Ybarra’s education awards questioned
BOISE – Just one week from the election, revelations continue to emerge about a little-known educator who was the surprise winner of Idaho’s Republican primary for state schools superintendent, this time focusing on her claim to be a two-time “Educator of the Year.” Sherri Ybarra lists among her educational accomplishments “Educator of the Year 2005” and “Educator of the Year 2006.” But Idaho doesn’t have an Educator of the Year, nor has she been named Teacher of the Year, an honor that’s been bestowed annually in the state since 1959. She wasn’t even Mountain Home School District’s nominee for that state competition.
Smart Bombs: Idaho voters face Ybarra test
When Idaho schools superintendent candidate Sherri Ybarra was asked why she omitted a divorce from her personal history, she told the Idaho Statesman, “My brain doesn’t operate in the past.” It isn’t humming on all cylinders in the present either.