Mead School Board, district 3
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Olson | 7,883 | 57.08% |
| John P. Hatcher | 5,927 | 42.92% |
* 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
Bob Olson
- Age:
- 83
His words: “We don’t keep a cash reserve as large … because we think today’s dollars need to be spent on today’s children.”
His pitch: Olson is concerned about overcrowding in the Mead district, especially in the elementary schools. A recently passed bond allowed the district to buy new land. Now, Olson said the priority has to be evaluating school boundaries in an effort to best relieve the burden on elementary schools. Olson said he’s also concerned about how the district will be able to fund state mandates.
“The problem that we have is that the state will give us mandates but they aren’t funded,” he said.
Notable experience: Olson has been on the school board since 1985. He worked as a banker in Seattle for First National Bank (later Bank of America).
Education: Graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1959. Earned bachelor degrees from Eastern Washington University and the Pacific Coast Banking School.
John P. Hatcher
- Age:
- 73
- City:
- Spokane, WA
Education: Graduated from Gresham High School in Gresham, Oregon, in 1969. Earned a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of Puget Sound in 1977. Earned a master’s degree in health services administration from Whitworth in 1985.
Political experience: Candidate for Mead School District board in 2015.
Work experience: Occupational therapist and certified hand therapist with varied work experience, including time as director of therapy services at Interlake School, founder of the occupational therapy program at Shriner’s Hospital and as school therapist for Spokane Public Schools and ESD 101. Founder and owner of Spokane Occupational and Hand Therapy. Adjunct instructor at Spokane Falls Community College and guest lecturer at Eastern Washington University. Retired in 2014. Vietnam veteran.
Family: Married. Has two children who both attended Mead schools and graduated from Mead High School.
Complete Coverage
Mead school board race pits veteran against newcomer critical of how district handled recent cuts
Bob Olson, who has on the Mead School District board for 34 years, says stability on the board will help the district navigate a difficult period. His challenger in the Nov. 5 election, John Hatcher, disagrees. Hatcher says the district “needs new ideas and input.”