Superintendent Ybarra announces she’s going home to the classroom

(BOISE) –For Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra, the new year will take a turn both new and wonderfully familiar.

She leaves office Jan 2, and on Jan. 4 she will start work as a kindergarten teacher at Stephensen Elementary School on Mountain Home Air Force Base.

“Trying to choose my new chapter, I looked at a number of job offers in Idaho and beyond,” Superintendent Ybarra said. “In my heart, I realized that what feels right at this point is to go back to my natural habitat and the place that started me on my professional journey – the classroom.”

“Classroom visits across Idaho were among the happiest moments throughout my two terms as superintendent,” she said. “And in fall 2021, when I filled in as a substitute teacher for schools hit hard by the pandemic, it reminded me how much I loved that daily contact with kids,helping them grow as students and individuals.”

“As a leader, I have always said that education is not a sideline sport. It’s critically important to know what is happening in the ranks and to continue to sharpen your skills as an educator and administrator.”

Before taking office in 2015, Ybarra spent two decades as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and federal programs director for Mountain Home School District.More than half of that time was spent in a third-grade classroom. She and her husband, a federal law enforcement officer and Air Force veteran, still live in Mountain Home.

“Our son graduates from the University of Idaho soon and will then join the military. My term in office ends in the middle of the year,so it makes sense to go home and do what I love,”she said. “And I really look forward to working on the Mountain Home Air Force Base with children who share the special pride and challenges of having parents who serve our nation.”

Superintendent Ybarra announced her new job to State Department of Education staff during a holiday party Dec. 22.

“Serving eight years as Idaho’s Superintendent of Public Instruction has been an honor and a privilege, and I’ve loved working with schools, students and families throughout the state,”she said.