OLYMPIA, Washington. – The election for Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington could have implications for school districts across the state.

The two candidates vying for your vote in this race are Chris Reykdal and David Olson.

While incumbent Chris Reykdal made his final stops in Vancouver and Longview late last week, challenger David Olson picked up the phone and visited the Marysville School District to speak with members of the community there.

Both have traveled thousands of miles across the state speaking to constituents about how they would address the challenges currently facing Washington schools.

In a campaign described as highly geographically diverse, both Reykdal and Olson have campaigned in nearly every district in the state and voiced their opinions on why they believe they are the best choice for superintendent of public instruction .

“The voters will have a good choice here, experience instead of inexperience,” Reykdal said.

“I am a public finance banker, so I know how to read and understand public finance documents,” Olson said.

Both have turned their attention to the Marysville School District in Snohomish County, which is facing a multimillion-dollar budget deficit.

The state auditor looked at the district's books and called it “the most alarming audit of public school finances in over a decade.”

OSPI Special Administrator Art Jarvis oversees finances while OSPI works with the Interim Superintendent to find the final budget cuts needed to achieve financial stability.

Both candidates have spoken with Maysville school leaders in recent months.

“I’ve been up there several times and met with district and tribal leaders,” Reykdal said.

“I want to see what their idea is on how to resolve the financial situation in Marysville. “So it’s an important issue and I thought it would be smart for me to participate,” said Olson, who attended a public school district meeting last week.

If school districts are struggling, Olson believes OSPI should take action sooner, which he would do if elected.

“I think what hurts is that OSPI hasn't been proactive enough in helping our schools in financial situations. They were a reactive department,” Olson said.

Reykdal argues that OSPI was proactive and Marysville was in a unique situation because the double levy failed.

“We have a financial monitoring system. It has many metrics. We proactively call districts; we have been calling districts for years before Marysville was in the news,” Reykdal said.

Olson said he doesn't believe OSPI under Reykdal's leadership has been aggressive enough to get the state to meet its constitutional obligations and fully fund education.

“I want to be a much stronger advocate using a bully pulpit,” Olson said.

Reykdal responded that OSPI struggled for funding under his leadership.

“We got the first $5 billion in funding. The Supreme Court, again, thought this was quite significant. Again, I give the Legislature credit, but we were a partnership. We used the bully pulpit,” said Reykdal.

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