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Tom Luna (Idaho)
Tom Luna is the former Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction. He served in this postion from 2011 to 2015. He was elected to his first term as superintendent on November 7, 2006, and was sworn in the follwing January.[1] Luna ran successfully for re-election in 2010.
Luna was targeted by recall efforts in 2011 and 2012, neither of which made it to the ballot.
After giving sincere consideration to running for re-election again in 2014, Luna ultimately decided not to pursue a third term as superintendent. He announced his retirement on January 27, 2014, and left office upon the expiration of his second term on January 5, 2015.[2][3] He was succeeded by fellow Republican Sherri Ybarra, who won the open seat in the 2014 general election.[4]
Biography
Luna graduated with his bachelor's degree from Thomas Edison State College. He went on to serve as Senior Adviser to Secretary of Education Rod Paige from 2003 to 2005 and White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities Director from 2003 to 2004. In addition, Luna was Chairman of the Nampa School Board.[1]
Before his election to statewide office, Luna made a career in the private sector as a businessman. He was President of Scales Unlimited Incorporated.[1]
Education
- Bachelor's, Thomas Edison State College
- Attended, Boise State University
- Attended, Brigham Young University-Idaho
Political career
Superintendent of Public Instruction (2007-2015)
Luna was first elected as Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2006 and sworn in on January 1, 2007. Luna, a Republican, was re-elected to a second term in 2010.[1] He retired from office after two terms, and was succeeded by Sherri Ybarra (R) on January 5, 2015.
Presidential preference
2012
Tom Luna (Idaho) endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[5]
Education Reform
Luna pushed for a K-12 education reform package. The first bill was sent to the governor on March 9, 2011. That bill restricted collective bargaining rights for teachers to salaries and benefits only. Additionally, tenure would be phased out for new teachers and existing teachers without tenure. The Idaho Education Association decried the bill, stating that they would be holding rallies across the state to protest it.[6] Luna called passage of the bill a "great step forward," adding, “Not only will this bill save more than $9 million for our public schools, but it also implements major education reforms that we have talked about for years."[7]
Elections
2014
Although eligible to run for re-election as Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2014, Luna announced in January that he would retire upon completing his second term, on January 5, 2015.[2][3][8][9]
2010
Luna won re-election on November 2, 2010, defeating Democratic candidate Stan Olson.[10]
| Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Tom Luna Incumbent |
60.5% | 268,852 | |
| Democratic | Stan Olson | 39.5% | 175,541 | |
| Total Votes | 444,393 | |||
| Election results via Idaho Secretary of State | ||||
2006
Luna won election as Superintendent of Public Instruction in the November 7, 2006 election, defeating Democratic candidate Jana L. Jones.[11]
| Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Tom Luna |
51.3% | 227,171 | |
| Democratic | Jana L. Jones | 48.7% | 216,013 | |
| Total Votes | 443,184 | |||
| Election results via Idaho Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Luna and his wife, Cindy, have six children.[12]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Tom + Luna + Idaho + Education"
See also
- Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Superintendent of Schools
- Tom Luna recall, Idaho Schools Superintendent (2011)
- Tom Luna recall, Idaho Schools Superintendent (2012)
- Idaho school districts
- Idaho State Department of Education
External links
- Idaho State Department of Education - Superintendent Tom Luna
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2010, 2008, 2006, 2002
- Tom Luna campaign website
- Tom Luna on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Project Vote Smart, "Biography of Tom Luna"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 State EdWatch, "Idaho K-12 Chief Tom Luna Announces He Won't Seek Another Term in 2014," January 27, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Spokesman-Review, "Idaho schools chief Tom Luna won't seek re-election," January 28, 2014
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "November 4, 2014, General Election Results," accessed January 5, 2015
- ↑ Idaho Statesman, "Otter to pitch for Romney Monday in North Idaho; Paul dribbles out endorsements," March 4, 2012
- ↑ Fox News, "Idaho Votes to Phase Out Teacher Tenure, Restrict Collective Bargaining," March 9, 2011
- ↑ Times-News Magic Valley, "Lawmakers approve bill to limit negotiations between unions and school boards," March 9, 2011
- ↑ The Idaho Statesman, "Democrats try to target ‘toxic’ Luna in 2014 election," December 20, 2013
- ↑ Governing, "2013-2014 Governor's Races: Who's Not Vulnerable?" December 12, 2013
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "November 2, 2010 General Election Results," accessed March 10, 2011
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "November 7, 2006 General Election Results," accessed March 10, 2011
- ↑ Project VoteSmart, "Bio of Tom Luna," accessed September 29, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction 2007-2015 |
Succeeded by Sherri Ybarra (R) |
| ||||||||||||||
