What Parents Need to Know About the 2024 Fight to Be Washington’s Next Education Leader

For busy parents, keeping up with our civic duties can sometimes take a backseat to the urgent day-to-day issues of toilet training toddlers or debating the virtues of Snapchat with teens. As a mom to a debate-inclined high schooler myself, I’m with you on the overwhelm.

If your bandwidth is limited, there is one issue on the ballot this year that I urge you to move up on your parent priority list despite that its already packed: The race for the role of Washington state’s superintendent of public instruction. As a former public school teacher, I know firsthand just how much this role impacts the experiences of our students, educators and families.

To help you prepare to vote in the election on Nov. 5, ParentMap reached out to the 2024 candidates for the superintendent’s role to learn more about their visions for the future of Washington schools, and to find out what kind of students they were as kids as well as their ideal Pacific Northwest day.

Skip to the candidates’ full responses to our ParentMap questionnaire:

• Chris Reykdal
• David Olson

Who are the 2024 candidates for superintendent?

Following the August primary there are two 2024 candidates for the state’s top public education leader role:

Incumbent Chris Reykdal is the current Washington state superintendent of public instruction, serving since 2017. With a background in education and public policy, he previously worked as a high school teacher and in the State House of Representatives. As superintendent, Reykdal has focused on equity in education, increasing public funding and ensuring post-secondary opportunities for all students. In his 2024 re-election run, he continues to work toward a 100 percent high school graduation rate, safety from gun violence and educator support. Reykdal holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington State University.

David Olson has served on the board of Gig Harbor’s Peninsula School District since 2013. He is a retired US Navy Chief Warrant Officer and he is also a board member with the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation. Olson's campaign emphasizes a conservative perspective focused on expanding the power of parents around issues such as curriculum. He has stated that he is “committed to restoring local control to school boards.” In his role as board president of the Peninsula School District, he has expressed strong opposition to “critical race theory,” although representatives from the district have confirmed that no such curriculum is in place. Olson is endorsed by Washington State Republicans. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

What does the Superintendent of Public Instruction do?

The superintendent serves as the chief executive of public K–12 education in Washington, overseeing everything from curriculum standards and educator certification to budget allocation and policy implementation. This role is vital in ensuring that all students have access to a high-quality education, preparing them for future success in a rapidly changing world.

Roles, responsibilities and rights of the superintendent:

1. Implement state education policy: They implement policies established by the Washington state legislature and the State Board of Education.
2. Manage the OSPI: The superintendent manages the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, which includes overseeing its staff and operations.
3. Budget and funding: They develop and propose the state education budget to the legislature, ensuring the equitable distribution of funds to school districts.
4. Set academic standards: The superintendent helps establish and maintain academic standards and assessment programs for students.
5. Provide guidance and support: They provide guidance and technical assistance to school districts on curriculum, assessment, and instructional practices.
6. Ensure compliance with federal and state laws: The superintendent ensures that schools comply with federal and state education laws and regulations.
7. Advocate for education policies: They advocate for policies and legislation that support the educational needs of students and schools in Washington.
8. Certify educators: The superintendent oversees the certification process for teachers and educational staff, ensuring that they meet state standards.
9. Data collection and reporting: They collect and report data on student performance, school accountability and other education-related metrics.
10. Facilitate professional development: The superintendent supports professional development opportunities for educators to enhance teaching quality.

Things the Superintendent of Public Instruction does not have the power to do:

1. Make laws: The superintendent cannot create laws; they can only implement policies and laws established by the state legislature and the State Board of Education.
2. Direct local school operations: The superintendent does not have the authority to directly manage individual school districts’ daily operations or personnel decisions.
3. Set local school policies: They cannot set policies for individual school districts, which are governed by locally elected school boards.
4. Levy taxes: The superintendent cannot impose taxes or alter taxation policies. This is the responsibility of the state legislature and local governments.
5. Enforce federal education policies: While they must ensure compliance with federal laws, they cannot enforce or change federal education policies.
6. Control curriculum content: Although they can provide guidelines and standards, the superintendent cannot dictate specific curriculum content used by individual school districts.
7. Discipline school staff: The superintendent does not have the power to discipline or fire staff at the local school district level; this is handled by local school boards.
8. Negotiate teacher contracts: They do not negotiate collective bargaining agreements with teachers’ unions; this is the responsibility of individual school districts.
9. Determine school calendars: The superintendent cannot set school calendars, which are decided by local school districts.
10. Allocate local school budgets: While they oversee state funding distribution, they do not control how individual school districts allocate their local budgets.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in July 2024 before the August primaries. It was updated most recently in October 2024 by ParentMap’s editorial team to focus solely on the two remaining candidates. Information related to the primary election and one candidate interview was removed during the update.