Superintendent of Public Instruction
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Reykdal | 898,951 | 40.41% |
| Maia Espinoza | 564,674 | 25.38% |
| Ronald Higgins | 456,879 | 20.54% |
| Dennis Wick | 121,425 | 5.46% |
| David Spring | 111,176 | 5% |
| Stan Lippmann | 71,395 | 3.21% |
* 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.
The Candidates
Chris Reykdal
- Age:
- 52
- 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 finance: Raised more than $315,000 as of Oct. 2, 2024, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Contributors include $60,900 from political action committees, many representing labor unions; and $38,200 from various labor unions such as the school employees’ union; $45,000 from the Washington State Democratic Central Committee; $2,400 from the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe; $4,800 from the Jamestown S’Kallam Tribe, $4,800 from the Tulalip Tribe; and $2,400 from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.
Maia Espinoza
- Age:
- 35
- City:
- Tacoma, Washington
Education: Graduated from Clover Park High School in Lakewood, Washington, and earned her associates degree in arts from Pierce College in 2007. Received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Pacific Lutheran University in 2010. Pursuing her Master of Science in curriculum and instruction from Western Governor’s University.
Political Experience: Ran to represent the 28th Legislative District in 2018. Worked in constituent services at the Pierce County Executive Office.
Work Experience: Has a marketing and consumer service background. Founded the Center for Latino Leadership in 2015. Served on the Commission on Hispanic Affairs. Served on the Race and Ethnicity Student Data task force for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Family: Married to Laudan Espinoza. Has two children.
Campaign contributions: Raised nearly $144,000, as of Sept. 23, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Top donors include surgeon Douglas Backous, Cascade Political Action Committee and William Weyerhaeuser.
Ronald Higgins
- Age:
- 77
- 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.
Dennis Wick
- Age:
- 68
- City:
- Snohomish, Washington
Education: Declined to say where he graduated from high school, but said it was in northern Illinois and that he graduated in 1974. Earned his associate degree from Skagit Valley College in 1980. Earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Washington in 1982. Earned a master’s degree in project management from the City University of Seattle in 2004.
Political Experience: Served on the Snohomish School District Board from 1999 to 2007.
Work Experience: Retired integrated planning and management specialist at Boeing. Adjunct faculty at Gonzaga University. Served in the U.S. Navy.
Family: Declined to answer. preferred not to answer
David Spring
- Age:
- 73
- City:
- Ferndale, Washington
Education: Graduated from Hudson Bay High School in Vancouver, Washington, in 1969. Received a bachelor’s degree in science education from Washington State University in 1974 and a master’s degree in education and child development from the University of Washington in 2007.
Political Experience: Ran to represent the 5th Legislative District in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Ran for the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction in 2016.
Work Experience: Spent 20 years teaching courses in problem solving and conflict resolution at Bellevue College. Owned an outdoor store called Wilderness Sports in Bellevue.
Family: Married to Elizabeth Hanson. Has two children.
Stan Lippmann
- Age:
- 65
- City:
- Renton, Washington
Education: Graduated from Irvington High School in Irvington, New York, in 1977. Earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from New York University in 1981. Earned a master’s degree in physics from Johns Hopkins University in 1984. Earned a doctorate in physics from Johns Hopkins University in 1989. Earned a law degree from the University of Washington in 1998.
Political Experience: Ran for mayor of Seattle in 1997. Ran for Congress in 1998. Ran for Seattle City Council in 1999 and 2001. Ran for Attorney General in 2000. Ran for King County Executive in 2009. Ran for the Washington State House of Representatives in 2010. Ran for mayor of Lake Forest Park in 2011.
Work Experience: Senior scientist at the Institute for Environmental Health from 2008 to 2010. Attorney at Lippmann Law Firm from 2000 to 2008, but disbarred in 2008.
Family: Not married. No children.
Complete Coverage
State supreme court’s written opinion allows controversial statement about sex ed to stay in superintendent candidate’s voter guide
The court, which voted 6-3 against Reykdal, released its written opinion in a case involving challenger Maia Espinoza’s statement that Reykdal championed a policy that teaches “sexual positions to 4th graders.”
How do you reopen schools in a pandemic? Washington state superintendent candidates have different ideas
Incumbent Chris Reykdal will face Maia Espinoza in the nonpartisan race for superintendent of public instruction. The candidates disagree over how to reopen schools in the pandemic.
Two Democrats to face off for Washington lieutenant governor in November
A Democrat is almost guaranteed to be Washington’s next lieutenant governor.
As COVID-19 changes education systems, Washington school superintendent candidates push for local control
OLYMPIA – Five candidates are running in Washington’s Aug. 4 primary against incumbent Chris Reykdal for Superintendent of Public Instruction, calling for more local control of schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Inslee running for re-election, other Democrats staying put
By running for a third term, Gov. Jay Inslee has kept more Democrats in place in the 2020 elections but energized Republicans.
State superintendent says even fall may be too soon to return to school
“Short of a vaccine, which people continue to tell us is 12-18 months away, we have to figure out if it’s safe to come back even in the fall,” state Superintendent Chris Reykdal said. “Will we see a spike in cases if we are all sort of released from our social-distancing framework?”
Maia Espinoza: School closures highlight failure of public school system to fully embrace online learning
Microsoft, Android, Amazon – our state is home to some of the most innovative online inventors in the world. Yet, expenditures on technology in public education have only worked to maintain the status quo rather than elevate the quality of education available to our students.
Washington schools ordered closed until fall
Public and private schools in Washington are closed until fall, and students will be getting instruction through “distance learning,” state officials announced this afternoon.
Live Video: Gov. Inslee press conference on COVID-19
At 2 p.m. Governor Jay Inslee, joined by Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal, announces new school guidelines to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Chris Reykdal: Extra fees undercut high school dual credit programs
The practice of charging high school students mandatory costs to participate in advanced learning has to end, with or without additional funding from the state.
Eating lunch after recess better for students, report says; some Spokane schools in line with recommendation
When it comes to providing students lunches with the most benefits and the least waste, many schools have it backward, a new report from the state Auditor’s Office says.