Jana Jones: Ready to Restore Idaho Education
Jana Jones has spent her entire career as an educational leader Idahoans can trust to stand up for children and their families.
A fourth generation Idahoan and the first of Wayne and Janice Hammond’s 5 children, Jana was a born into the values that make Idaho great: honesty, hard work, and independence. She grew up in Bonneville County and attended Idaho Falls School District 91, where she would eventually teach after graduating from Skyline High School and earning her bachelor’s degree in Special Education at Utah State University.
Dissatisfied with the lack of early childhood education in the state before kindergarten was funded, and after earning a master’s degree in Special Education, Jana founded and operated Progressive Day School in Idaho Falls—one of the first early childhood centers in the state to include children with special needs. Progressive Day School is still open today and is where countless children in Idaho started school, including all of Jana’s children and grandchildren.
Read More at JanaJonesForIdaho.com
Ward-Engelking Joins Idaho Senate
In 2010, Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking lost her election by 7 votes. She persevered and, in 2012, became one of District 18′s representatives (the other being Rep. Phylis King). A couple weeks ago, she took her oath to fill the vacant Dist. 18 senate seat. Here is a good Q and A with her hometown weekly, The Boise Weekly:
Janie Ward-Engelking: Idaho’s Newest Senator
by George Prentice @georgepren
The political fortunes have changed dramatically for Janie Ward-Engelking. After losing Idaho House Seat 18A by a mere seven votes to Julie Ellsworth in 2010, Ward-Engelking, renewed her challenge for the House seat in 2012 after the district had been dramatically reshaped (BW, News, “Turning 18,” Sept. 4, 2012).
“Really hard work pays off,” said Ward-Engelking, who admitted to not celebrating her victory until hours after the last votes were counted on election night 2012.
“Everybody kept saying, ‘It’s good.’ But I just didn’t allow us to celebrate until about 7 the next morning,” she recalled.
And now, following only one year in the House, Ward-Engelking is one of only seven Democrats and six women in the 35-member Idaho Senate. She was sworn into the more exclusive club Jan. 6 after Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter appointed her to replace former Sen. Branden Durst, who resigned his post, citing “family needs.”
Read More at IdahoDems.org
Ringo: A Real Leader for Idaho
Meet Shirley Ringo – Candidate for US Congress Idaho D1
Shirley Ringo is a teacher, an organizer, a public servant, and a proud Idahoan.
Shirley’s values are Idaho’s values. Give everyone a shot at the American Dream. Reward hard work. Build an economy that’s fair and lifts everyone up. Insist on accountability in government. And protect Idaho, the best place on earth, for future generations.
Shirley’s a leader for all of Idaho. After 14 years in the Idaho House, her colleagues chose her to co-chair the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee — even though she’s a bright-blue Democrat in a deep-red state.