Reykdal likely to serve third term as superintendent of public instruction

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Chris Reykdal will likely serve a third term as the superintendent of public instruction in Washington, according to published ballot results from the Associated Press.

Challenger David Olson is more currently than seven points behind with 61% of the votes counted. Reykdal has received 53.5% of the vote while Olson sits at 45.9%.

Reykdal has been the state’s superintendent of public instruction since 2017. The position oversees all public education from kindergarten through 12th grade, handles funding, and sets curriculum standards.

During his time in the position, he has increased access to free meals for thousands of students, established a path for students to earn elective credits toward their diploma with paid work experience, and helped educators navigate educational hurdles through a pandemic.

Reykdal released the following statement Wednesday regarding the race:

“Our election victory is truly a testament to the parents, educators, students, volunteers, labor partners, social justice organizations, environmental advocates, community leaders, and education champions that makeup Team Reykdal.

Washington voters have made it very clear that public education is to be protected and uplifted in Washington state. Voters rejected school privatization, education budget cuts, and anti-diversity rhetoric. Our students and educators are doing amazing things in our public schools, and these results tell us that tearing them and their hard work down is not a winning campaign strategy.

There is more work to be done to truly achieve educational equity: universal free school meals, comprehensive mental health supports, more dual language and acceleration programs, greater dual credit access, career and technical education (CTE) pathway expansion, and more.

We have a large body of work in front of us to ensure, first and foremost, that our public schools are fully and amply funded. I am thankful to Washington voters for trusting my team and me at OSPI to lead the charge on full funding with our lawmakers, and I thank all of our endorsers, supporters, donors, and volunteers for their help with our victory. I want to give a special shoutout to our precinct committee officers across the state, who are unsung heroes in our political process. They deserve huge credit for wins up and down the ballot for progressive leaders and education champions - thank you!

Lastly, I want to thank David Olson for stepping into this race and for serving on a local school board. School board work is sometimes thankless work. David elevated critical issues that he and I will continue to advocate for with a common voice - specifically ample education funding.”

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