Reykdal poised to serve third term of superintendent of public instruction

Chris Reykdal is on track to get elected to a third term as the superintendent of public instruction in Washington, according to published ballot results. Challenger David Olson is more than seven points behind.

Reykdal has received 53.5% of the vote while Olson has tallied 45.9%. More than 2.25 million votes have been cast in the race.

The 51-year-old Reykdal has been the superintendent of public instruction since 2017. He was a former high school history teacher and spent 14 years on the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. He also served on the Tumwater School Board from 2007-2011, when he then pivoted to serve in the Washington state House of Representatives for six years.

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Olson, 64, was an 11-year school board member with Gig Harbor’s Peninsula School District.

More on Rekydal’s tenure in office

Reykdal ran on the platform that funding is the biggest issue schools in the state are facing. While multiple districts have received money through one-time federal grants, he argued that once that money goes away, Washington and its schools are going to have a hard time maintaining programs without significant financial investment.

As Superintendent of Public Instruction, Reykdal asked the Legislature to increase spending on schools by $2.9 billion in his most recent budget request, according to the Washington State Standard. This increase in funding would go toward special education programs, student mental health support, transportation and operating costs and increasing compensation for teachers’ aides and other lower-paid school staff.

“(Funding) really sets up all the opportunity, whether it’s mental health gains, whether it’s further academic recovery, post-secondary options for kids, or dual credit,” Reykdal said on the campaign trail. “You have to have an amply funded system, and I think that’s very much at risk.”

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The position oversees all public education from kindergarten through the senior year of high school, heading and running The Office of Public Instruction by handling funding for schools, implementing state education laws and setting curriculum standards.

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.