State superintendent candidates

NAME - Tony Evers.

AGE - 57. Born Nov. 5, 1951.

RESIDES - Madison.

EDUCATION - Bachelor's degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1973; master's degree, UW-Madison, 1978; doctorate degree, UW-Madison, 1986.

CAREER - Teacher and media coordinator, Tomah, 1976-79; elementary principal, Tomah, 1979 and 1980; principal, Tomah High School, 1980-1984; superintendent, Oakfield Schools, 1984-1988; superintendent, Verona Schools, 1988-1992; administrator, Cooperative Education Service Agency in Oshkosh, 1992-2001. Deputy state superintendent, 2001-present.

PRIORITIES - Increase graduation rates, have safe and respectful classrooms, make the school finance system more adequate.

PERSONAL - Wife, Kathy; three adult children.

QUOTE - "We need to move beyond the one-shot standardized tests to judge success."

WEB SITE - http://tonyevers.com/

NAME - Rose Fernandez

AGE - 51. Born Nov. 28, 1957.

RESIDES - Mukwonago.

EDUCATION - Bachelor's degree, Northern Illinois University, 1979; master's degree in nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1989.

CAREER - Pediatric nursing assistant, patient care manager of the Emergency Department Trauma Center, and trauma nurse, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, 1979-2001; owner of RollNRack, a company that sells a tool invented by her husband for firefighters to use transporting and draining the heavy rolls of big fire hoses, 2003-present.

PRIORITIES - Reform the Department of Public Instruction, reward quality teachers and dismiss poor performers, emphasize alternatives to traditional classroom instruction.

PERSONAL - Husband, Javier. Five children.

QUOTE - "I think districts should have the freedom to pay great teachers a lot more than they presently do. And a merit pay system should also give districts more freedom to dismiss teachers who aren't up to the task, no matter how long they've been around."

WEB SITE - http://changedpi.com.wehostwebsites.com/

NAME - Lowell E. Holtz

AGE - 51. Born April 22, 1957.

RESIDES - Beloit.

EDUCATION - Associate degree, Concordia College-Milwaukee, now Concordia University-Mequon, 1978; Bachelor's degree, Concordia University-River Forest, Ill., 1980; co-op in educational administration, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and UW-Madison, 1986-1989; master's degree in educational administration, UW-Madison, 1989; doctoral degree in educational leadership, learning and service, Cardinal Stritch University-Milwaukee, 2004.

CAREER - Elementary school teacher, Plainview, Minn., 1980-1983; Whitewater police officer, 1984-1989; principal, Cambridge School District, 1989-1995; principal, Peshtigo School District, 1995-2002; superintendent, Palmyra-Eagle School District, 2002-2006; superintendent, Beloit School District, 2006 to present.

PRIORITIES - Work more closely with the business community and reform the educational system to emphasize problem solving, collaboration and career and technical education.

PERSONAL - Wife, Susan; five children.

QUOTE - "We need to do a better job of working with business instead of working in isolation."

WEB SITE - http://holtz4kids.com/

NAME - Van Mobley

AGE - 40. Born May 28, 1968.

RESIDES - Thiensville.

EDUCATION - Bachelor's degree, Vanderbilt University, 1990; master's and doctorate degrees in history, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1999.

CAREER - Market analyst, Holmes Oil Co., 1990 and 1991; loader, United Parcel Service, 1992 and 1993; graduate assistant, UW-Madison, 1995-1999; lecturer, UW-Milwaukee and Carroll University, 2000; assistant professor of history and economics, Concordia University, 2001-2008 (currently on leave for campaign); director of community and government relations, Concordia University, 2005-2008; marketing partner, Do-Mo Capital Management, 2007-present.

PRIORITIES - Work to ensure that mandates are funded and, if not, remove them to give schools more flexibility, emphasize the value of a technical school education, work with the University of Wisconsin and technical college board to oppose tuition increases, reform Milwaukee Public Schools.

PERSONAL - Wife, Susan. Two sons.

QUOTE - "We should shoot to have the Milwaukee school district broken up into smaller school districts around the state that work better."

WEB SITE - www.vanmobley.com/

NAME - Todd Price

AGE - 45. Born June 13, 1963.

RESIDES - Kenosha.

EDUCATION - Bachelor's degree, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 1986; master's degree in guidance and counseling, UW-Stout, 1988; UW-Madison, master's degree in curriculum and instruction, 1995; doctorate degree, UW-Madison, curriculum and instruction, 1999.

CAREER - Instructor/graduate assistant, Louisiana State University, 1989 and 1990; research assistant, UW-Madison, 1990-1992; instructor/graduate assistant, UW-Madison, 1995 and 1996; executive director of WYOU community access television, 2000-2002; guest lecturer, UW-Madison, 2000-2004; assistant professor, National-Louis University, 2000-2007; associate professor, National-Louis University, 2008-present.

PRIORITIES - Making schools safer, changing the school aid formula, improving school testing, dismantling No Child Left Behind and representing K-12 students' interests as a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.

PERSONAL - Wife, Ginger. Two children.

QUOTE - "We need to get away from the testing mess and get toward the more authentic teaching and assessment."

WEB SITE - http://www.toddprice.org/