Superintendent of Public School candidates Chris Reykdal (left) and David Olson (right). (Photos courtesy of the campaigns)
Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal led challenger David Olson on Tuesday in a battle for leadership of the state agency that oversees K-12 education in Washington.
Reykdal, who is seeking a third term, received 53.5% of the vote to Olson’s 45.9%. Vote counting will continue in the days ahead.
While the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is officially non-partisan, Reykdal is a former Democratic state lawmaker with deep connections to the party and Olson was endorsed by the Republican Party.
Reykdal was first elected in 2016 and reelected in 2020. He has spent his time in office calling for more state funding for schools, particularly for special education and staff. In September, he requested nearly $3 billion in additional funding for public schools in the next two-year state budget.
The race for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction has received more attention than usual this year, as the state grapples with pandemic-related learning loss, a surge in chronic absenteeism, a drop in public school enrollment and a youth mental health crisis.
Olson sought to tie Reykdal to these issues, pointing to criticism that the incumbent has minimized the impact of COVID on the state’s students.
At the same time, national culture wars over race and LGBTQ+ issues have made their way into Washington’s schools, notably with a parents’ “bill of rights” lawmakers approved this year that’s now being challenged in court.
The parental rights movement saw an ally in Olson, who supported giving districts more leeway to shape their own policies and allowing parents to have more say in their kids’ education.
Reykdal, who says he believes in local control “within the law,” is an ardent supporter of LBGTQ+ rights and most recently requested funding from the Legislature to bolster the office’s civil rights division.
Reykdal, as of Nov. 1, had outraised Olson by nearly $190,000 during the campaign.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction channels funding to schools, implements state education laws and sets curriculum standards. Like all state agencies, the office can request legislation, but cannot pass laws.