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 primary election on Aug. 6, ParentMap reached out to the 2024 candidates for the superintendent role to learn more about their visions for the future of Washington schools, and also what they’re reading and what kind of students they were as kids.

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

• Chris Reykdal
• Reid Saaris
• David Olson

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.

Who are the 2024 candidates for superintendent?

Officially, there are four registered 2024 candidates for the state’s top public education leader role, but only three are being considered top contenders:

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.

Reid Saaris is Reykdal’s primary competition as a fellow left-leaning candidate. He is the founder Equal Opportunity Schools, a Seattle-based national nonprofit organization that works to increase access to advanced courses for underrepresented students. His primary background is in education policy and advocacy, and he also taught for one semester at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle during the fall of 2023. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Stanford and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard. His campaign is focused on educational equity, enhancing student support services and improving school funding.

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 expanding the power of parents around issues such as curriculum. He has also 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.

John Blair has consistently run for this office over the last two decades. However, he does not have a website nor campaign fund. ParentMap reached out to Blair multiple times via email and phone between July 3 and the publishing of this story and did not receive a response. 

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.

Controversies from the last two races

The last two rounds of Washington’s superintendent fight have been testy.

In 2020, Chris Reykdal faced Republican challenger Maia Espinoza whose campaign focused on her opposition to Referendum 90, the Sex Education in Public Schools Measure. A voter guide released by Espinoza’s team inaccurately accused Reykdal of “championing a policy that teaches sexual positions to fourth graders.” Reykdal won with 57 percent of the vote and the referendum was also passed, requiring comprehensive sex education in schools while allowing for parents to opt their children out of the curriculum if desired.

In 2016, the race that resulted in the launch of Reykdal’s tenure as superintendent, Reykdal won with 50.52 precent of the vote, a narrow margin over challenger Erin Jones. Reykdal and Jones were neck-and-neck throughout the campaign season, with both candidates running on platforms that emphasized the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. However, favor for Jones soured after The Stranger rescinded their endorsement of her less than a month after the primary election. In the paper’s announcement of their shift to endorsing Reykdal, The Stranger stated that “Jones is dangerously behind the curve when it comes to understanding LGBTQ+ issues.” The announcement also noted that during The Stranger’s candidate interview, “Jones declined to answer directly when asked whether she thinks being gay is a sin.” In an open letter shared on social media following The Stranger's endorsement of Reykdal, Jones stated that she does not think being LGBTQ+ is a choice or a sin.