David Olson, a retired naval officer, and respected veteran of the Peninsula School Board for over a decade, is now running for Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) with a fervent determination to overhaul our public education system that has floundered under Chris Reykdal and has failed Washington’s children.
Olson‘s extensive experience on the school board underscores his steadfast commitment to community service and educational excellence. His track record speaks volumes showcasing, not only his ability to navigate tough battles, but his commitment to non-partisan pragmatic solutions that prioritize student achievement and parent voice.
David Olson is a champion of parent and family voice in their children's education. This includes parents serving on curriculum assessment committees, parent advisory committees, and more. Studies clearly show that when parents and families are involved, and engaged, it has a significant impact on student success.
David's Plan for the Future:
Olson’s top priority as Superintendent will be student learning. Under Chris Reykdal, student success has collapsed, especially amongst students of color. Washington has a highly educated population, and this means many students learn outside of our schools, creating an important buffer against bad policies. Where students are most dependent on schools, we see a near total failure. The mission of public education is to serve as the great equalizer in our society, but there is ample proof that this is no longer the case.
Chris Reykdal is failing Washington's students. In 2023, with an average of $18,287 spent statewide per student, only 50.7% of students met state testing minimum standards for ELA (reading and writing); 39.1% met math standards; and 42.9% met science standards. While some large, high income school districts have state test scores above 70%, there are many high poverty, and smaller school districts with test scores below 30%. This is unacceptable! As Superintendent of Public Instruction, David Olson will make sure our lower income students and their respective school districts, as well as small school districts, have the resources - curriculum resources, professional development for staff, etc. - they need to achieve success. He will also replace the current transportation funding formula to make it less onerous.
As Superintendent of Public Instruction, David Olson will work to change the funding model to help redirect financial resources to high poverty and smaller school districts that have trouble passing critical capital bonds and levies and paying for critical needs.
Chris Reykdal took away local control from school districts and their elected school boards. He threatened to withhold money if they defied him. The result? A huge loss of learning for those students that might never be restored. On Day One, David Olson will restore local control to
school boards!!
"David Olson is a dedicated leader who puts students' needs first. His commitment to academic success and to eliminate divisive social programs make him the ideal candidate for Supt of Public Instruction." – Senator Jan Angel, retired.
Our kids and parents need David Olson as our next Superintendent of Public Instruction. Olson will become a partner with local school districts, helping them, not attacking them.
David Olson is a husband, father of four, a retired US Navy Chief Warrant Officer and currently serves on the Peninsula School Board, including being board chair in 2021 and the current vice chair.
David served in the U.S. Navy for 28 years, enlisting right out of high school, reaching the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. He had the demanding and exciting job of Navy Diver - doing underwater ships husbandry, experimental and saturation diving, and various classified projects.
In 2005, David and wife Tonia of 25 years — a Washington native – needed to pick where they’d live after David retired from the Navy. They did something more parents should be able to do, they researched school districts and chose to move to the Peninsula School District to ensure their four children received an excellent education.
During his military career, David was also involved in his local community which meant cities and bases all over the world. He’s seen what education systems look like in Korea, Guam, Puerto Rico, Italy, and other parts of the world, as a parent.
With a lifelong passion for serving others, it is important to David to support local organizations and causes. He was raised to give back and to make things better than you found them. Today, he sits on the Board of the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation; serving on the Education Cabinet and as Chair of the Students of Distinction Committee; and is a member of the Friday morning Rotary Club. He previously served as President of the City Club of Tacoma; Vice President of the Hilltop Business Association; and served on the board of the local FISH Food Bank.
David was first elected to the Peninsula School District Board in 2013, and was twice reelected since. During that time, he has served as President and Vice President, and Legislative Representative.
David cares deeply about his community, and he is passionate about making it the best possible place to live and raise your family. He is committed to working with statewide stakeholders to make our Washington Public Schools the best in the country. To provide all students with a pathway to achieve academic excellence and make sure they have the tools—academically, emotionally, socially—to achieve their unique goals.
Strong Supporter of Skilled Trades. As a former Navy electrician, underwater welder, and Navy saturation diver - all skilled trades - David Olson is a staunch advocate for expanding skilled trades in our schools, as early as elementary school. As Superintendent, David will work with school districts across the state to increase skilled trades programs for their students.
Passed Policy Removing Cell Phones & Social Media in Classrooms. Nationwide we're seeing the harm cell phones and social media is causing to our youth and students. Especially among young girls, social media bullying is creating extreme anxiety - and suicidal thoughts - and cell phone use during class has a devastating impact on academic performance. The new policy has reduced student stress, increased student engagement, reduced discipline issues, and increased academic scores. As Superintendent, David will urge all school district to adopt similar policies.
Strong Parental Involvement Reduces Chronic Student Absenteeism: Under Reykdal’s leadership, a record number of students have been pulled out of the public schools, and the number of students still enrolled in the schools but chronically absent from schools has doubled since Reykdal took office.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as the percentage of students missing at least 10 percent of a school year. In Washington state, this means being enrolled in the public schools but missing at least 18 days of instruction. Chronic absenteeism is strongly related to failing courses and later dropping out of school. It is also strongly related to mental health problems including anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, drug abuse and crime rates including the probability of being arrested later in life. Finally, it is strongly related to family poverty and unemployment later in life.
David Olson will strongly support parental involvement and engagement, which has proven to be the key to lowering student absentee rates. In David’s school district, with strong parental involvement, it has one of the lowest absentee rates in the state.
One District - One Vote. The Washington State School Directors Association is an important organization that represents the needs of our school districts. Unlike most organizations, WSSDA used weighted voting, which gave more votes to districts like Seattle. Again, David Olson was instrumental in helping to pass much needed reform and worked with others across the state to restore one vote for every district, enabling smaller school districts to have an equal voice. Washington Policy Center Education Policy lead Liv Finne said, “ending the biased voting system makes WSSDA more inclusive and gives all public-school communities a say.”
Better Covid Response. From working to quickly reopen schools after the pandemic, to refusing to shutter the school board itself, David Olson was a voice for kids and commonsense during Covid. Governor Inslee’s Covid mandates were unreasonable, and we now have definitive proof they hurt kids and cost nearly every child in our state years of educational development. We can trust David Olson to continue standing up to powerful people like Inslee.
Campaign Phone Number: 253-267-8555
Sign up to receive updates from the candidate on the trail!
Paid for by Friends of David Olson | P.O. Box 1932 Tacoma, WA 98401
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.