State superintendent Sherri Ybarra hasn’t announced her re-election plans, but she will make a joint appearance with her would-be opponents later this month.
Ybarra and announced Republican candidates Debbie Critchfield and Branden Durst will appear at an Idaho School Boards Association-sponsored forum.
The hour-long forum — scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 21, at the Grove Hotel in Boise — will be held in conjunction with ISBA’s annual Day on the Hill Statehouse lobbying event.
“While no other candidates have filed or have notified us of their intention to file, we have notified the top two major political parties about the forum and will invite any subsequent candidates to participate as well,” the ISBA said in a flier promoting the forum.
Ybarra, a Republican, hasn’t made her intentions clear either — although, in 2021, she raised $19,855 for a potential run for a third term. Critchfield raised $167,762 in 2021, while Durst raised $29,414.
The candidate filing period runs from Feb. 28 through March 11.
Idaho Education News managing editor Jennifer Swindell will moderate the ISBA forum.
