The department of education has been in turmoil recently amid accusations of mismanagement and an unclear leadership role at the state level.
Both Jillian Balow (R) and Mike Ceballos (D) are vying for the position of superintendent of public instruction. Both candidates believe they can stabilize the department of education.
After winning the Republican primary with 41.2 percent of the vote against fellow Republicans Sheryl Lain and Bill Winney, Balow has assumed the Republican side of the ticket. Balow said that her platform is focused on stabilizing education at the state level and allowing individual districts to shine while also focusing on opportunities for high school graduates.
“The reason why I decided to run was that it was the right time and I have the right skill set to move Wyoming education in the right direction. We have a lot of good things going on in the state,”Balow said. “As a former high school teacher I had a number of students that went to college, military and trade schools. I’ve really focused my campaign on those opportunities after high school and look forward to working with the university and community colleges in the state.”
Balow has not only been an educator but was an administrator for the State Department of Education.
Ceballos, the Democratic candidate running against Balow, was unopposed during the primary. Ceballos said his platform is focused on better communication throughout the forty-eight individual districts at the state level and promoting a stronger connection between education and business while maintaining a strong leadership role.
“Over the last twenty years I’ve just become more involved in education and being a bridge for business and education. There is just so much we can do and that’s why I’ve been working on a lot of educational task forces. What education and the department need are leadership, skills and talent,” Ceballos said. “If you look at this job it’s a job of leadership.”
Ceballos was president of Qwest Communication Wyoming for fourteen years, and served on several boards including the UW College of Business Advisory Board, Wyoming’s National Teacher Certification Advisory Board and McRel International.
