In my efforts to become a more informed voter, I chose to study the two candidates running for State Superintendent of Education; Sherri Ybarra and Cindy Wilson. After reading about them online, I became curious about a few things and wrote down several questions I wanted to ask them both. I am not one to waste time, so I contacted the two candidates.

I have not had any success in speaking with the Republican incumbent Sherri Ybarra (I have left messages with two secretaries, left voicemails and sent emails). If she gets a chance to respond to me, I will blog about it.

I was able to speak with Democratic challenger Cindy Wilson (I booked an appointment via her website). She met with me and answered all of my questions. Here are my questions with the simplified version of her responses.

• Why are you the best choice for parents?

Because I listen

• How do you plan to improve education for ALL kids in Idaho?

Offer full-day kindergarten for all students in Idaho

Create a (non-mandatory) community partnership to offer pre-K services

• How do you propose to improve Idaho’s reading score?

Preschool

• What do you do to include a parent’s perspective in your decision making?

Regularly meet and talk with parents

• How do you plan to inform parents about the success and failures in their schools?

Create a monthly newsletter accessible to all parents

Overall, the meeting was very informative. I felt like Cindy listened to me and to my questions. She took the time to explain her ideas and excitement for the future of Idaho. She told me about her 20+ years of experience in education, along with many meaningful connections she made with her students. She is passionate about improving education, and has several ideas of how to make education better throughout the state.

If you met with the two candidates, what questions would you ask?