Idaho’s state superintendent candidates, Debbie Critchfield, Becky Sundin Mitchell, and Teresa Roundy, recently participated in a panel discussion with the Idaho Association of School Administrators. The discussion covered various topics, including local control, funding formulas, and parental rights.

Candidates’ Positions

Critchfield, the incumbent and Republican nominee, emphasized her commitment to literacy, math, and career-technical education. She also acknowledged the need to address classroom management and special education funding.

Sundin Mitchell, the Democratic nominee, proposed a program to invite legislators to visit classrooms and hold them accountable for their decisions on public education. She also focused on alleviating teacher burnout and implementing enrollment-based funding.

Roundy, the Constitution Party candidate, centered her campaign on child safety and parental rights. She suggested that school resource officers and teachers are complicit in a ‘civil conspiracy’ that allows child protection services to ‘kidnap children without due process or evidence.’ Roundy also proposed a ‘first-of-its-kind curriculum’ to address trauma and combat youth suicide.

Funding and Federal Priorities

The candidates discussed shifting federal priorities around education, including the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Critchfield supported these efforts, while Sundin Mitchell expressed concerns about the impact on educators and federal funding.

Critchfield highlighted her development of ‘critical relationships’ with federal partners, which helped Idaho obtain waivers and secure grants for community schools. Sundin Mitchell emphasized the need to fight for federal funding and ensure that educators have a ‘better seat at the table’ in decision-making processes.

Original reporting: Idaho Education News — read the source article.