Statewide, more contested school board elections this year

July 18, 2017 Updated Tue., July 18, 2017 at 11:04 p.m.

By Eli Francovich elif@spokesman.com (509) 459-5508

Just over a quarter of all school board races in Washington will be contested this November.

According to the Washington State School Directors’ Association, that is a slight increase from two years ago. Statewide, 700 seats are up for election in November, according to WSSA. Of those, just under 200 are contested. Six percent of all races have more than two candidates.

Statewide, incumbents are running unopposed in 445 races, according to the group.

“The increase in competition for seats on school boards appears to be largely driven by a jump in candidates for open seats, rather than challenges to incumbents running for re-election,” WSSDA Executive Director Tim Garchow said in a news release. “We believe the uptick in candidates is a reflection of how greatly our citizens value high-quality public education.”

In the Spokane area, six districts have contested elections.

Spokane Public Schools has four candidates running for one of two open director positions.

East Valley has the most crowded election, with three open positions – two of which are contested. West Valley also has three open positions, although only one of those is contested.

The Nine Mile Falls School District has one position open, with two candidates vying for that seat. In Medical Lake there are two open seats, one of which is contested.

The Riverside School District also has three open spots, although only one is being contested.

In the 2015 November general election, there were seven contested school board races in the Spokane area. In Washington state, school board elections are held every two years.

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