A challenger for Glenda Ritz could emerge this week

Jennifer McCormick, the superintendent of Yorktown Schools near Muncie, appears poised to announce a challenge to Indiana state Superintendent Glenda Ritz in November.

A political consultant sent out a notice to reporters on McCormick’s behalf this afternoon saying she will make an announcement “regarding the superintendent of pubic instruction race” at press conference 9 a.m. Thursday at statehouse.

Jennifer McCormick

Last week, the website Howey Politics reported that McCormick planned to run against Ritz as a Republican.

McCormick, who could not be reached for comment this afternoon, also planned a schedule of appearances after the press conference across the state in Jeffersonville and Evansville on Thursday and in South Bend and Fort Wayne on Friday.

Despite Ritz’s popularity among educators, she is perceived by some political observers as vulnerable to a strong challenge from a well-regarded educator running as a Republican. McCormick appears to fit that profile.

With a credible Republican challenger, Ritz will likely be outspent again. In her upset of Tony Bennett in 2012, she raised just $350,000, mostly from the Indiana State Teachers Association, while Bennett out-raised her by $1.5 million.

Howey also reported Ritz has already raised more than her total take in 2012. But her ill-fated run for governor, which ended last summer after just 10 weeks, failed mostly because she could not raise enough money.

McCormick has a doctorate in educational leadership from Indiana State University, a master’s degree from Ball State University and an undergraduate degree from Purdue, according to her LinkedIn page. She has been superintendent for five years after serving as a principal in Yorktown. She is married to another teacher and has a son who attends the school district, according to the district’s website.