BOISE - Four candidates are squaring off in the race for the top education position in Idaho.
In the upcoming May primary, Democrats Allen Humble and Cindy Wilson are going head to head for Idaho superintendent of public instruction, and Republican Jeff Dillon is taking on GOP incumbent Superintendent Sherri Ybarra.
Dillon is currently the Wilder School District superintendent and the principal of Wilder Elementary. He says he has a proven track record of being an effective leader.
"As the elementary building principal, I took over this school here when we were one of the lowest performing in Idaho and we transformed this school to an amazing school for kids and we were able to make great gains shown in the data, and as the district leader we have now changed the whole model of education," Dillon said.
Ybarra said her record over the past three years makes the case for a second term.
"I'm running because we have seen a lot of great things happen with education and my track record speaks for itself," she said. "I am an effective leader, we're seeing increased graduation rates, increased performance on our national assessment of educational progress, or the NAPE."
But if re-elected, Ybarra says there are several elements she would like to see changed.
"I do want to address the educator shortage, it’s a national shortage that's going to take a while and I do want to look at that," she said. "I want to make sure the safety initiative gets through to keep our students safe and I want to make sure that the funding formula recommendations are proposed as well."
VOTER GUIDE: What you need to know about the May primary
Dillon said Idaho's education system is broken and has plateaued.
If elected, Dillon said he, too, wants to fix the teacher shortage and put a comprehensive plan in place to address graduation rates.
"The cohort that just finished up last year we had over 4,600 students that did not graduate and we put roughly $350 million in for those students that didn't graduate," he said. "Those students are going to cost us down the road because without a degree they are going to get lower-paying jobs and need extra assistance along the way."
On Thursday, KTVB will talk to the democratic candidates: Allen Humble and Cindy Wilson.