Spokane School Board, position 5
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Wiser | 25,083 | 62.92% |
| Jennifer Muroya Thomas (N) | 14,782 | 37.08% |
* 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.
About the Race
The Candidates
Mike Wiser
- Age:
- 52
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Neighborhood: Comstock
Education: Graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1990. Graduated from the University of Washington in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. Graduated from Northwestern University in 2000 with a dual master’s in business administration and engineering management.
Work experience: Worked in health care administration at CHAS Health for over 10 years. Has worked as a consultant at Community Link Consulting since January 2023.
Political experience: Appointed as a Spokane Public Schools board member in March 2017. Elected as Spokane Public Schools board member in November 2017.
Family: Married to Deborah Wiser. Has two children, one graduated from Spokane Public Schools and one currently attends a school in the district.
Campaign finance: Has raised about $3,500 Oct. 4, including a $1,000 transfer from a previous campaign and $1,200 from the statewide teacher’s union’s political action committee, Washington Education Association Political Action Committee.
Jennifer Muroya Thomas
- Party:
- No party
- Age:
- 48
Education: Graduated from University High School in 1994. Associate’s degree in theology from Beacon University, 2000.
Political experience: Worked on Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ campaign in 2016.
Work experience: Background in sales and fundraising. Recently started a consulting business. Currently director for business development with The Jonah Project, a nonprofit dedicated to ending sex slavery in Spokane.
Family: Divorced. Four children who attend schools in Central Valley School District.
Campaign contributors: Has raised about $10,300, including donations from Spokane County Republican Party Chairwoman Stephanie Cates, former candidate for state superintendent Erin Jones, gospel church The Bridge, former U.S. Attorney James McDevitt and Max J. Kuney Co.
Top priorities as a school board candidate: “Highlight the important aspects of education locally, especially the issues facing our most vulnerable students – those that are homeless, hungry and at risk. Also, I want to make sure we are having conversations about what we want our workforce to look like and assess if we are making strides towards achieving those goals. As a school board member my priorities would be very similar. Bottom line – we have to make sure we are making decisions to help ALL of our students succeed and prepare them for the future path that best suits their unique talents and desires.”
Complete Coverage
Incumbent Mike Wiser beats out challenger in Spokane Public Schools only contested board race
Incumbent school board member Mike Wiser beat challenger Jennifer Thomas in Spokane’s only contested board race.
Small donation to Spokane school board campaign appears to violate federal tax law
A small donation made to a Spokane Public Schools board candidate appears to violate federal tax law.
In Spokane School Board race, it’s the hot-button issues that divide the candidates
Whoever becomes Spokane Public Schools newest board member will inherit a slough of thorny and difficult questions. And while both candidates running for that honor have similar goals and concerns, their approach and experiences differ.
Keep Wiser on Spokane school board
Wiser demonstrated greater knowledge about the many education challenges ahead. He has invested a lot ot time volunteering at schools and has an impressive resume and work background.
With complicated, potentially contentious decisions on horizon, four vie for Spokane schools board seat
Spokane’s newest board member will inherit a slough of thorny and potentially contentious decisions in November.
Q&A with SPS Board candidates Jennifer Thomas and Michael Wiser
Candidates answer questions about the roles they would play on the Spokane Public School Board.