Superintendent of Public Instruction
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Erin Jones | 182,896 | 23.35% |
| Chris Reykdal | 164,586 | 21.01% |
| Ronald Higgins | 134,389 | 17.16% |
| Robin Fleming | 113,369 | 14.47% |
| David Spring | 69,221 | 8.84% |
| John Patterson Blair | 49,252 | 6.29% |
| KumRoon (Mr. Mak) Maksirisombat | 30,071 | 3.84% |
| Al Runte | 23,512 | 3% |
| Grazyna Prouty | 15,984 | 2.04% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
Featured Candidates
Erin Jones
- City:
- Tacoma, WA
Age: 45
Education: Grew up in the Netherlands. Earned bachelor’s degree in comparative literature at Bryn Mawr College. Earned teaching certificate at Pacific Lutheran University.
Work experience: Teaching coach and program administrator for the Tacoma School District. Former literacy coach at Rogers High School in Spokane where she won a national Milken Educator Award in 2007.
Political experience: This is Jones’ first run for elected office.
Family: Married. Has three children.
Chris Reykdal
- Age:
- 51
- City:
- Tumwater, Washington
Residence: Tumwater
Education: Graduated from Snohomish High School in 1990. Graduated from Washington State University in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in social studies, minors in political science and geology and a teaching certificate. Graduated from University of North Carolina with a masters of public administration in 1999.
Work experience: Worked as teacher in Longview, Washington: Worked as fiscal analyst for the Washington State Senate from 1999-2002. Worked on the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges as operating budget director and ultimately deputy executive director from 2002-16.
Political experience: Served on Tumwater School Board from 2007-11. Won seat as Washington state representative in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Has won two terms as superintendent of public instruction since first winning in 2016. Served as a precinct committee officer in Whitman County and member of the Whitman County Democratic Central Committee from 1992-94. Served as a precinct committee officer in Thurston County in the 2000s.
Family: Married to Kim Reykdal. Has two adult children.
Campaign Contributions: Has received $182,455 as of July 12; $69,472 is from individual donors. Notable donors include $46,500 from various political action committees, like $4,800 each from Washington Education Association, Public School Employees of Washington and from Boeing. Other donors include $1,200 from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and $25,600 from several labor unions.
Ronald Higgins
- Age:
- 76
- City:
- Richland, Washington
Education: Graduated from San Carlos High School in California in 1965. Earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from California Polytechnic State University in 1969. Earned a master’s degree in aeronautical systems from the University of West Florida in 1970. Earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Washington in 1980.
Political Experience: Ran for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2012 and 2016.
Work Experience: Served in U.S. Marine Corps. Engineer at U.S. Department of Energy from 1991 to 2009. Substitute teacher in Washington since 2009. Substitute teacher in California from January to May 2015.
Family: Married to Deborah Higgins. Has two children.
Complete Coverage
Candidates for state superintendent of education have similar goals, different approaches
The two candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction, State Rep. Chris Reykdal and Erin Jones, expressed similar goals, but different methods, in a debate Tuesday.
Lawmaker, former Rogers teacher compete for Washington state superintendent post
Randy Dorn is stepping down after eight years as state superintendent of public instruction, and two Democrats are vying to replace him as head of Washington’s K-12 public education system. The nonpartisan job pays $132,000 a year and oversees some $9 billion in education spending.
Editorial: Jones for state superintendent
We interviewed three candidates who are all impressive, but we believe Erin Jones has the background and vision to address significant challenges
Crowded field for Washington schools chief race
There’s a crowded field of candidates vying to be Washington’s next superintendent of public instruction, but the three top candidates all bring something new to the contest.
WaLeg Day 40: Is charter school bill an innovative fix or money laundering?
A proposal to find a new way to send state money to public charter schools approved recently by the Senate was described by some as a way to save innovative education and by others as an unconstitutional money-laundering plan.
Lawmakers want impeachment vote on Troy Kelley ASAP in 2016
Lawmakers file resolution to impeach absent State Auditor Troy Kelley.
Impeachment resolution filed against Kelley
Lawmakers file resolution to impeach absent State Auditor Troy Kelley.