The leaders of seven Southwest Idaho teachers’ unions are throwing their support behind Democratic state superintendent’s candidate Cindy Wilson.

“Our public schools in Idaho need a committed, passionate, knowledgeable leader at the helm,” the union presidents said in a joint guest opinion released Wednesday.

The letter was co-signed by Eric Thies of the West Ada Education Association; Eric Maine of the Nampa Education Association; Kelly Garey of the Caldwell Education Association; Shelley Hopkins of the Kuna Education Association; Amanda Rinker of the Vallivue Education Association; Jackie Shull of the Mountain Home Education Association; and Stephanie Myers of the Boise Education Association.

Shull’s signature is noteworthy, since Republican incumbent state superintendent Sherri Ybarra was a longtime Mountain Home educator before her election in 2014.

Taken together, the endorsements represent local union leaders from Idaho’s three largest school districts, and the seven districts have a combined enrollment of more than 100,000 students.

The local associations are an offshoot of the Idaho Education Association, which has endorsed Wilson and has contributed to her campaign and to a third-party pro-Wilson advertising blitz.

Wilson, a retired high school government teacher, represented the IEA on Gov. Butch Otter’s K-12 education task force in 2013.