Indiana Republicans Facing Choice In State Schools Superintendent Race

INDIANAPOLIS -- Delegates to the upcoming Indiana Republican convention will be choosing between a school district administrator and a tea party-backed college instructor to become their candidate for state schools superintendent.

Republicans are looking to regain control of the state Department of Education from Democrat Glenda Ritz, who is seeking re-election to the position she won in the 2012 election.

The Indianapolis Star reports some Republican leaders are backing Yorktown school district superintendent Jennifer McCormick. She has focused on the need to improve communication between the Education Department and schools.

The other candidate who will be considered at the GOP's June 11 convention is Dawn Wooten of Fort Wayne. She has gained support from social conservatives and argues that Indiana's academic standards remain too similar to the national Common Core benchmarks.