‘We’ll keep bringing the facts, and others can keep bringing the politics’: Reykdal pushes back at Ferguson, won’t rule out governor run

Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal pushed back against Gov. Bob Ferguson’s criticism of student performance and declined to rule out running for the governor’s job himself.

On “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, Reykdal defended his education record after Ferguson welcomed his decision not to seek reelection and described student outcomes as mediocre.

“So we’ll keep bringing the facts, and others can keep bringing the politics,” Reykdal said.

Reykdal announced that he would not seek a fourth term in 2028, citing his support for term limits while leaving open the possibility of pursuing another state or federal office.

KIRO host Gee Scott asked whether Ferguson’s criticism had become personal. Reykdal declined to explain the governor’s motives but offered a pointed assessment.

“He’s obviously an incredible politician. He’s raised a lot of money. He cares a lot about winning, and he’ll be who he’s going to be,” Reykdal said.

Reykdal argued that judging Washington’s education system primarily through standardized test scores overlooks progress in graduation, college participation, dual credit and career pathways.

A governor run remains on the table

Gee pressed Reykdal directly on his political future.

“Will you rule out running for governor?” Gee said.

“No, I’m not going to rule that out right now,” Reykdal said.

Reykdal also identified Congress as a possibility, while emphasizing that returning to private life remains an option. He argued that an incumbent’s party affiliation would not, by itself, stop him from considering a race.

“I won’t do it based on who’s in the office. I’m not one of those who says, ‘Oh, there’s already a Democrat. Get out of the way,’” Reykdal said.

He described evaluating potential offices by talking with community groups and considering whether he could improve on the work being done.

He said his decision to announce his departure two years early was meant to be transparent with supporters, rather than continue raising money for a reelection campaign he knew he would not pursue.

Ferguson’s criticism meets Reykdal’s defense

In a social media post, Ferguson welcomed Reykdal’s decision to leave the superintendent’s office.

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

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

Reykdal countered by citing what he described as record graduation rates, college participation, and access to dual credit. He acknowledged that test scores matter, but disputed making them the defining measure of school performance.

He also argued that family socioeconomic circumstances substantially influence those scores and urged Ferguson to focus on investments in educators, smaller classes, and early learning.

“And I keep saying I’m willing to meet with the governor any time to actually talk about that, and then what is his agenda to improve that?” Reykdal said.

When Reykdal referenced the station’s ownership and suggested its listeners would not provide a representative test of his political prospects, KIRO host Ursula Reutin disagreed.

“I do want to point out that no ownership tells us how we do our show on “The Gee and Ursula Show”, and we have a wide variety of listeners,” Ursula said.

Why more funding after McCleary?

Ursula asked why districts were again preparing to sue over school funding after Washington added billions of dollars following the McCleary decision.

Reykdal argued that meeting the state’s obligation once does not eliminate the need to keep pace with costs.

“It’s never done, right?” Reykdal said.

He pointed to insurance, transportation, and other expenses, estimating the funding gap at about $800 million annually. That was Reykdal’s assessment, not a court finding.

“About a 4% increase would solve that,” Reykdal said.

He argued that inadequate funding for those expenses forces districts to divert money from programs that serve students directly.

Ursula also challenged his emphasis on funding by asking about Mississippi’s fourth-grade reading performance despite lower per-student spending.

Reykdal responded that comparisons must account for regional costs and performance beyond elementary school. He argued that a fourth-grade result alone does not establish whether a system is sustaining success.

“The goal isn’t to be first two miles of a marathon. The goal is to be near the top in the 26th mile of the marathon,” Reykdal said.

Reykdal stands by opposition to girls’ sports initiative

Ursula asked whether voters’ approval of Initiative 638 had changed Reykdal’s opposition to the measure.

The initiative passed and would bar transgender girls from participating in girls’ school sports.

Reykdal maintained his objections, arguing that the policy is discriminatory and imposes requirements on girls that boys would not face. He described transgender participation as involving a small number of students and questioned the broader burdens of the measure.

“No, no, no. You can’t run multi-million-dollar initiatives to keep 10 kids out of athletics. It doesn’t make any sense,” Reykdal said.

He nevertheless distinguished his personal position from his responsibilities in office.

“I was also very clear that while I personally disagreed with that initiative, if it becomes law, we’ll implement the law and we will do that,” Reykdal said.

He expected legal challenges to determine how the measure proceeds.

Two more years and one regret

When asked what families should expect during his remaining term, Reykdal highlighted attendance recovery, graduation, early learning and access to college, apprenticeships, technical programs and military service.

He identified investment in educators as a major accomplishment. He regretted not pressing lawmakers harder and earlier to maintain school funding.

“I would have kept pressure on the legislature earlier,” Reykdal said.

He argued that lawmakers failed to replace funding after federal pandemic assistance ended, contributing to districts’ financial distress.

For now, Reykdal is promising to finish his term while considering what comes next. That includes an office Ferguson currently holds — a possibility he explicitly refused to take off the table.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio.