In the race for state superintendent of public instruction, two candidates are running to fill the position vacated by Megan Degenfelder, who left the role in her bid for governor.
Ana Cordova grew up in a low-income, single-parent household in Cheyenne. Programs like all-state orchestra, Science Olympiad and mock trial built her confidence and propelled her to law school. The Democrat recently moved back to the state.
She’s is running against longtime high school educator and lawmaker Rep. Steve Harshman, a Republican from Casper. Harshman helped craft the state’s flagship scholarship program for in-state students at the University of Wyoming.
They both aim to keep tight reins on the state’s public vouchers for private schools.
Cordova said her experience in law school gives her an edge to enact that.
“I'm trained in statutory interpretation and regulatory compliance, and what it means to have a high-quality program that is the intent of the Legislature and how that gets implemented,” she told KHOL.
She proposed an application process that would explain why public funds were getting “funneled to private individuals.”
Harshman similarly thinks the program won’t pass muster with the Wyoming Supreme Court. If it does, he said he would work to ensure the program’s dollars benefit Wyomingites.
“I would have a couple employees at the Department of Education who actually certify education providers, and we would interview in Wyoming,” he said. “Come to Wyoming and interview.”
Harshman advocated for cutting back on the number of state standards, saying “box-checking off” and time spent on testing take away from teaching.
Cordova pushed for alternative measures of success, like graduation and literacy rates and teacher retention, to help determine school funding allocations.
Excerpts of the general election candidates’ interviews are below. They’ve been edited for clarity and brevity.
Democratic Party nominee Ana Cordova spoke to KHOL for 20 minutes on Sept. 15, 2026.
Sophia Boyd-Fliegel (KHOL): Your opponent, Rep. Steve Harshman, he has decades of direct classroom experience. So why should voters trust you to run the Department of Education?
Ana Cordova: I'm passionate about education at all levels. I do have some direct teaching experience. It's in higher ed. I think I really just understand the needs of education generally from working with these national nonprofits, from working both schools across the nation and also in like curriculum development and what that really means to create materials that are aligned with standards that also are functional, that truly improve student learning and improve student outcomes. I also did go to law school in contrast to Representative Harshman. I'm like trained in statutory interpretation and regulatory compliance and what it means to have a high-quality program that is the intent of the legislature and how that gets implemented.
SBF: One of the hotter topics this election cycle has been public funding for private or alternative education. So a court will likely decide the fate of our state's universal choice program. Rep. Steve Harshman has been a vocal opponent of that program as have you. Pushing you a little on that, I have talked to parents here and these are working-class parents who say they need that financial flexibility because public school doesn't meet their child's needs. How do you respond to families like that?
AC: My priority isn't so much to oppose universal choice as it is to uplift public schools because I really believe in the transformative power of education in changing students' lives no matter what their background is or where they live in the state. If a parent or a family comes to me and says, ‘Our students' needs just aren't being met,’ I wanna listen and I want to work with both the family and the local leaders. I think that the local districts do need to have a very strong voice in the education systems that they serve for their community.
SBF: Let's say that this idea remains popular in Cheyenne. How would you talk with lawmakers or plan to convince them that public funding should remain exclusively within the public system?
AC: We can't start with the legislature. It's building a solution before knowing the problem. Rather, I would like to spend a lot of time really finding out why parents across the state want this program to open the conversation up with legislators and say, okay, this is the actual problem. I think that initial kind of gatekeeping of no public money to no people is to avoid waste and abuse and inefficiencies. I really see the Department of Education having a role stepping in if this program does continue to put in appropriate safeguards to make sure that this money is being used thoughtfully and meaningfully.
SBF: These conversations around people running for leadership positions in the state, they can kind of center around what you want to change. But I want to hear you talk about some things you've noticed in our education system that you really want to help keep the same.
AC: I would actually say that's probably 80% of what I want to do is keep what we're doing. Wyoming, for being a small state in population, for it being incredibly rural, for having challenges around serving very small populations and not having those economies of scale, Wyoming consistently ranks in the top 10 of a variety of measures, not just standardized testing, but graduation rates. I look back on my own educational journey within public schools. It's kind of amazing. We have these programs like, you know, all-state orchestra, for example, where if you contrast that to, like, practically any other state in the nation, those kinds of opportunities are limited to the wealthy, the connected. I was in competitions in law for mock trial. I was in science for Science Olympiad, science fair, math, orchestra. It was a very holistic experience for me. I've been running on the idea of making public schools so vibrant and enhancing their transformative power so that all parents across the state choose public schools because it is the best choice, not the only choice.
Republican Party nominee Rep. Steve Harshman spoke to KHOL for 20 minutes on Sept. 22, 2026.
Sophia Boyd-Fliegel: Rep. Harsham, you like to say the “tone at the top matters.” What is the tone now and how does that compare to what you would like to bring to the office?
Steve Hashman: It's been kind of a national thing since COVID. I think my main deal in this elected office – it's the only one of the electeds that really runs a department of state government. [I] want to build us on great customer service. A lot of this is compliance and reporting and all those things. Also, the piece of that tone you're talking about. Our teachers, every day, unless you've been in a school and in a classroom and worked there, it's incredible, that work. Every issue in society shows up at our public schools, and our teachers and our school people, the whole education team, they're doing a great job with that.
SBF: You, of course, are super in touch with educators from your decades of experience and your wife's experience. What are you hearing from teachers on the ground about what they would need specifically from leadership in Cheyenne to stay longer, teach better?
SH: We've kind of evolved. Someone asked me what's changed. I think the biggest thing is teachers had more time to teach. There’s a lot of box-checking going on now. There are our standards to meet. Lots of time was put into testing. I remember first-grade English language arts [has] 41 English standards. The state board is working on that. As an elected superintendent, you're a voting member of the state board. We'll continue to push that so we make sure we make the important things important.
SBF: Jumping to one of the top topics of this election cycle, I know you've been a vocal opponent of the universal [school] choice program – that’s state money for private education – as has your opponent. Since the fate of that program is being litigated, we have been talking to parents here, some of whom say they need that flexibility because public school isn't meeting their child's needs. How do you respond to families in that position?
SH: First of all, I support all kids, whether they're in homeschool, private school or public school. But what is the role of government? I think our Wyoming Constitution really provides that guidance, from giving out our state tax dollars to people, entities, organizations not under the control of the state. Article 16, Section 6, back 1890, does allow for the necessary support of the poor. The initial bill, back in 2024, included income requirements, and of course that was all stripped out. We'll see how it turns out, the Steamboat Legacy [Scholarship], but whatever turns out, of course I'll follow the law.
SBF: I did speak with Ms. Cordova about this topic. Do you see any difference in how you would approach the issue?
SH: I would bring it in-house. I would have a couple employees at the Department of Education certify education providers, and we would interview in Wyoming. Come to Wyoming and interview. I mean, if you want to teach a foreign language from San Francisco, come here and interview. If it is constitutional, let's make it a Wyoming program, so it benefits [groups] like that micro school that I toured here in Casper.
SBF: You are so steeped in the institution of public education here in the state. Talk about what is going well that you'd want to preserve.
SH: We're one of 16 states that test every junior on the ACT. I've administered the ACT. I've seen kids sit there with their arms crossed [who] don’t want questions. We talk about the NAEP score, which is something you can compare over the last 40 years. We are always in the top five, some of the best scores in the world. Our kids, per capita, who join the military and volunteer to serve our country, are always in the top 10. Our kids are patriots. Those things are going to keep going. I think you’re going to continue to see a rebound since COVID, too.
You can find more information about Wyoming’s 2026 general election on our How Do I Vote? page.
