‘He kind of has to throw Reykdal under the bus’: Jake suspects strategy behind Ferguson cheering superintendent’s exit

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson welcomed state schools Superintendent Chris Reykdal’s decision not to seek a fourth term. KIRO host Jake Skorheim suspects the governor had a political reason for distancing himself from Reykdal, specifically because of the millionaires’ tax.

“He kind of has to throw Reykdal under the bus here because he has to make the argument that with the right leadership, then that money is a good investment, which I don’t think it will be,” Jake said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

KIRO host Spike O’Neill was impressed.

“Holy cow! You’re right. You’re spot on,” he responded.

Reykdal announced Monday that he won’t run for a fourth term in 2028. He cited term limits and said he may run for another office at the state or federal level.

“Public institutions are strengthened when leadership changes, new voices emerge, and those entrusted with public office understand that the position belongs to the people, not to the person holding it,” Reykdal said in a statement.

Ferguson: ‘That’s good news’

Ferguson posted a video on Facebook reacting to Reykdal’s decision.

“Candidly, that’s good news,” Ferguson said.

“Test scores for students are just really mediocre, and Washington is not mediocre,” he added. “It’s just not been good enough, despite the best efforts of our educators all across the state.”

Jake agreed with the governor, which he noted doesn’t happen often.

Spike believes Reykdal could see the writing on the wall. He pointed out that spending keeps rising while results lag, yet Reykdal still argues schools need more.

“Let’s make it pay off. Let’s get results for what we’re spending,” Spike said.

He would be more open to spending more if the results were there.

“I wouldn’t mind spending more if we were number two in the country fighting to be number one,” Spike said.

Ferguson playing chess?

Supporters of the millionaires’ tax argued that the money would help pay for education. Jake believes falling test scores make that argument harder to sell.

“If you’re spending more money, you want to see these stuff increasing, but it’s not,” Jake said.

Spike wondered whether the two had coordinated, with Reykdal stepping aside so Ferguson could argue that new leadership, not just new money, would fix the schools. Jake compared Ferguson to a chess player thinking several moves ahead.

A U.S. Senate seat?

Jake also floated a second possibility: Ferguson could back Reykdal for the U.S. Senate if Sen. Patty Murray retires. Spike wasn’t convinced Murray is going anywhere.

“I still don’t buy that Murray’s done,” Spike said.

Last month, a spokesperson for Murray confirmed to The Lynnwood Times that she plans to run in 2028.

Jake also allowed for a simpler explanation: Ferguson may just want Reykdal gone.

“There’s another version where he genuinely thinks he’s bad at the job, and he sees that the test scores are horrible,” Jake said.

Either way, Jake sees the governor’s comments as self-serving.

“No matter what, I believe it’s self-serving for Ferguson,” Jake said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3