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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bob Olson

A candidate for School Board, District 3, Mead School District in the 2015 Nov. 3 Washington General Election

Age: 83

His words: “We don’t keep a cash reserve as large … because we think today’s dollars need to be spent on today’s children.”

His pitch: Olson is concerned about overcrowding in the Mead district, especially in the elementary schools. A recently passed bond allowed the district to buy new land. Now, Olson said the priority has to be evaluating school boundaries in an effort to best relieve the burden on elementary schools. Olson said he’s also concerned about how the district will be able to fund state mandates.

“The problem that we have is that the state will give us mandates but they aren’t funded,” he said.

Notable experience: Olson has been on the school board since 1985. He worked as a banker in Seattle for First National Bank (later Bank of America).

Education: Graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1959. Earned bachelor degrees from Eastern Washington University and the Pacific Coast Banking School.

Race Results

Candidate Votes Pct
Bob Olson 4,038 60.37%
John P. Hatcher 2,651 39.63%

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