Richland School District, Washington, elections

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Richland School District
District details
School board members: 5
Next election: November 4, 2025
Students: 13,948 (2022-2023)
Schools: 23 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

Richland School District is a school district in Washington (Benton County). During the 2023 school year, 13,948 students attended one of the district's 23 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Jump to a section:

Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

Elections

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• 2025
• 2023
• 2017
• 2015

Richland School District school board Position 1

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Richland School District school board Position 1

Jacques Bakhazi and Bonnie Mitchell are running in the general election for Richland School District school board Position 1 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Jacques Bakhazi (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Bonnie Mitchell (Nonpartisan)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Richland School District school board Position 2

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Richland School District school board Position 2

Rick Jansons is running in the general election for Richland School District school board Position 2 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Rick Jansons (Nonpartisan)

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Richland School District school board Position 3

General election

General election for Richland School District school board Position 3

Chelsie Beck defeated Nino Kapitula in the general election for Richland School District school board Position 3 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chelsie Beck (Nonpartisan)	59.3	12,287
		Nino Kapitula (Nonpartisan)	40.5	8,393
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	44

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 20,724
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Richland School District school board Position 4

General election

General election for Richland School District school board Position 4

Katrina Waters defeated Kari Williams in the general election for Richland School District school board Position 4 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Katrina Waters (Nonpartisan)	54.5	11,374
		Kari Williams (Nonpartisan)	45.2	9,437
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	47

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 20,858
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Richland School District school board Position 5

General election

General election for Richland School District school board Position 5

Incumbent Jill Oldson defeated Gene Nemeth in the general election for Richland School District school board Position 5 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jill Oldson (Nonpartisan)	52.6	10,920
		Gene Nemeth (Nonpartisan)	47.1	9,776
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	48

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 20,744
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Richland School District school board Position 1

General election

General election for Richland School District school board Position 1

Incumbent Heather Cleary won election in the general election for Richland School District school board Position 1 on November 7, 2017.

		Candidate
✔		Heather Cleary (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Richland School District school board Position 2

General election

General election for Richland School District school board Position 2

Incumbent Rick Jansons won election in the general election for Richland School District school board Position 2 on November 7, 2017.

		Candidate
✔		Rick Jansons (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Richland School District school board Position 3

General election

General election for Richland School District school board Position 3

Incumbent Rick Donahoe won election in the general election for Richland School District school board Position 3 on November 3, 2015.

		Candidate
✔		Rick Donahoe (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Richland School District school board Position 4

General election

General election for Richland School District school board Position 4

Incumbent Brett Amidan won election in the general election for Richland School District school board Position 4 on November 3, 2015.

		Candidate
✔		Brett Amidan (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Election rules

View election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board nonpartisan primary elections in Washington are held on the first Tuesday in August every two years in odd-numbered years. School board primary elections are only held if more than two candidates file to run for a school board member seat. If only two candidates run, the primary is canceled and both candidates advance to the general election.

School board general elections in Washington are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in odd-numbered years.

See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.52.220 and RCW 29A.04.311 and Washington Statute RCW 29A.04.330

Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

• Filing deadline date: May 16, 2025
• Primary election date: August 5, 2025
• General election date: November 4, 2025

Election system

School board members in Washington are elected through a system of a nonpartisan primary election and a nonpartisan general election. School board primary elections are only held if more than two candidates file to run for a school board member seat. If only two candidates run, the primary is canceled and both candidates advance to the general election.

See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.52.220 and RCW 29A.52.210

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Washington are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Washington statute specifies partisan and nonpartisan offices. Washington has a top-two primary system, which means all candidates appear on the same primary ballot regardless of party affiliation. The top-two candidates advance to the general. For partisan races, candidates can but do not have to express a preference for a political party. If they do, the ballot specifies their party preference. For nonpartisan races, candidates cannot express a party preference. RCW 28A.343.330 states that, "the positions of school directors and the candidates therefor shall appear separately on the nonpartisan ballot."

See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.52.210 and RCW 28A.343.330

Winning an election

The school board candidate that receives the largest number of votes in the general election is elected to office.

The top two school board candidates with the most votes in the nonpartisan primary advance to the general election. If only two candidates file for the primary election, the primary will be canceled and they will automatically advance to the general election. School board primary elections are only held if more than two candidates file to run for a school board member seat.

See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.010 and Washington Statute RCW 29A.04.127

Term length and staggering

Elected school board members in Washington have four-year terms, except for school districts classified as first-class school districts containing a city of the first-class in a county with a population of two hundred ten thousand or more, can have their board of directors serving six-year terms. As of 2022, only Spokane, Tacoma, and Everett School Districts serve 6-year terms.

See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.300 and RCW 29A.04.340

Washington school districts have staggered elections based on the rule that not more than a majority of board members can be elected at any election. This means that for all districts with four-year board member terms, as close to half of board members as possible are elected every two years. Four years is the default board member term length. As of 2022, Spokane, Tacoma, and Everett school district board members serve six-year terms with as close to one-third of board members up for election every two years.

See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.300 and 28A.343.600

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members are elected at large, by district, or through a combination of the two, depending on the classification of the school district. Any school district in the state that has a student enrollment in its public schools of two thousand pupils or more is a school district of the first class. Any other school district is a school district of the second class.

Most school districts classified as First Class Districts can elect their school board members either entirely at large or entirely by sub-districts.

School districts classified as Second Class Districts must elect their school board members either at large or by director districts (sub-district). Districts opting for a combination of board members elected by sub-district and at large generally must have three members elected from sub-districts and two members elected at large.

See law: Washington Statute 28A.343.020, 28A.343.680, and 28A.300.065 and Washington Statute 28A.343.020 and 28A.343.680 and Washington Statute 28A.343.680

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

The school board candidate filing deadline is on the Friday following the Monday that is two weeks before Memorial Day. This means the filing deadline is 74 days before the August primary and 172 days before the November general election.

See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.24.050

School board candidates cannot submit declarations of candidacy until the filling window opens on Monday two weeks before Memorial Day. This means the filing window opens 78 days before the August primary and 176 days before the November general election.

See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.24.050

Newly elected school board members officially take office at the first board of directors meeting taking place after the results of the election have been certified.

See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.360

 

About the district

School board

The Richland School District consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members

Name	Seat	Year assumed office	Year term ends
Jill Oldson	Position 5		2027
Chelsie Beck	Position 3	2023	2027
Katrina Waters	Position 4	2023	2027
Bonnie Mitchell	Position 1	2023	2025
Rick Jansons	Position 2	2001	2025

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Richland School District

Office Name	Current Officeholder	Party	% School District Covered	% Other District Covered
Washington House of Representatives District 16-Position 1	Mark Klicker	Republican Party	93%	13%
Washington House of Representatives District 16-Position 2	Skyler Rude	Republican Party	93%	13%
Washington House of Representatives District 8-Position 1	Stephanie Barnard	Republican Party	7%	7%
Washington House of Representatives District 8-Position 2	April Connors	Republican Party	7%	7%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

• Revenue
• Expenditures

Revenue, 2020-2021

SOURCE	AMOUNT	AMOUNT PER STUDENT	PERCENT
Federal:	$19,197,000	$1,412	8%
Local:	$52,341,000	$3,850	22%
State:	$162,327,000	$11,939	69%
Total:	$233,865,000	$17,201

Expenditures, 2020-2021

TYPE	AMOUNT	AMOUNT PER STUDENT	PERCENT
Total Expenditures:	$235,373,000	$17,311
Total Current Expenditures:	$197,043,000	$14,492
Instructional Expenditures:	$125,724,000	$9,247	53%
Student and Staff Support:	$25,999,000	$1,912	11%
Administration:	$19,533,000	$1,436	8%
Operations, Food Service, Other:	$25,787,000	$1,896	11%
Total Capital Outlay:	$28,210,000	$2,074
Construction:	$16,212,000	$1,192
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other:	$346,000	$25
Interest on Debt:	$7,634,000	$561

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."

• Mathematics
• Reading/language arts
• Graduation rates

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2018-2019	52	75-79	30-34	32	40-49	55	57
2017-2018	52	75-79	30-34	31	30-39	50	57
2016-2017	54	75-79	30-34	33	50-59	55-59	59
2015-2016	52	75-79	30-34	31	50-59	50-54	57
2014-2015	54	70-74	25-29	33	60-69	55-59	57
2013-2014	68	85-89	45-49	49	80-89	65-69	71
2012-2013	68	80-84	45-49	47	60-69	70-74	71
2011-2012	68	80-84	45-49	48	60-64	70-74	70
2010-2011	63	75-79	45-49	43	50-59	60-69	65

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2018-2019	64	80-84	50-54	45	50-59	65	69
2017-2018	65	80-84	50-54	43	50-59	69	70
2016-2017	65	80-84	45-49	43	60-69	65-69	69
2015-2016	65	80-84	45-49	44	70-79	65-69	70
2014-2015	59	75-79	35-39	39	60-69	65-69	63
2013-2014	76	85-89	60-64	60	70-79	80-84	79
2012-2013	75	85-89	55-59	60	70-79	75-79	77
2011-2012	76	85-89	65-69	60	70-74	80-84	78
2010-2011	73	85-89	60-64	56	60-69	80-89	75

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2019-2020	92	>=90	>=80	90-94	PS	>=90	92
2018-2019	82	>=90	>=80	75-79	PS	60-79	83
2017-2018	85	>=90	>=80	75-79	>=50	>=80	85
2016-2017	77	80-89	>=80	60-64	PS	60-79	79
2015-2016	79	>=90	>=80	70-74	>=50	>=80	79
2014-2015	82	>=90	60-79	65-69	PS	60-79	84
2013-2014	80	80-89	60-79	65-69	>=50	>=50	81
2012-2013	80	>=90	>=80	55-59	>=50	60-79	83
2011-2012	77	80-89	>=80	65-69	>=50	PS	77
2010-2011	81	>=90	60-69	60-69	>=50	PS	82

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

• Enrollment
• Demographics

Year	Enrollment	Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023	13,948	0.8
2021-2022	13,831	1.7
2020-2021	13,596	-4.6
2019-2020	14,221	1.8
2018-2019	13,970	1.2
2017-2018	13,796	1.8
2016-2017	13,548	2.4
2015-2016	13,218	4.5
2014-2015	12,627	4.2
2013-2014	12,094	1.6
2012-2013	11,898	2.1
2011-2012	11,646	2.9
2010-2011	11,304	3.5
2009-2010	10,908	2.8
2008-2009	10,599	3.0
2007-2008	10,281	1.4
2006-2007	10,135	-0.7
2005-2006	10,203	2.3
2004-2005	9,964	1.7
2003-2004	9,790	-0.1
2002-2003	9,800	1.8
2001-2002	9,622	1.6
2000-2001	9,464	1.3
1999-2000	9,343	0.0

Racial Demographics, 2022-2023

RACE	Richland School District (%)	Washington K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.3	1.1
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander	3.6	8.7
Black	1.4	4.8
Hispanic	21.5	25.6
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	0.2	1.4
Two or More Races	5.6	8.8
White	67.3	49.1

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

• Teachers
• Administrators
• Other staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Richland School District had 730.98 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 19.08.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten:	5.58
Kindergarten:	60.44
Elementary:	341.95
Secondary:	323.01
Total:	730.98

Richland School District employed 16.82 district administrators and 45.94 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators:	16.82
District Administrative Support:	42.60
School Administrators:	45.94
School Administrative Support:	48.97

Other staff, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides:	179.31
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors:	51.81
Total Guidance Counselors:	40.66
Elementary Guidance Counselors:	18.75
Secondary Guidance Counselors:	21.91
Librarians/Media Specialists:	6.00
Library/Media Support:	0.00
Student Support Services:	73.23
Other Support Services:	232.72

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

The Richland School District operates 23 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.

List of schools

SCHOOL NAME	NUMBER OF STUDENTS	GRADES
Badger Mountain Elementary	569	KG-5
Carmichael Middle School	807	6-8
Chief Joseph Middle School	697	6-8
Desert Sky Elementary	408	KG-5
Enterprise Middle School	694	6-8
Hanford High School	1,788	9-12
Jason Lee Elementary School	504	PK-5
Jefferson Elementary	414	PK-5
Leona Libby Middle School	800	6-8
Lewis & Clark Elementary School	486	PK-5
Marcus Whitman Elementary	484	KG-5
Orchard Elementary	616	PK-5
Pacific Crest Online Academy	312	KG-12
Richland High School	2,137	9-12
Richland School District Early Learning Center	282	PK-PK
Rivers Edge High School	186	9-12
Sacajawea Elementary	458	KG-5
Special Programs	19	PK-12
Tapteal Elementary School	471	PK-5
Three Rivers Home Link	660	KG-12
Twin Rivers Group Home	0	9-12
White Bluffs Elementary School	629	PK-5
William Wiley Elementary School	527	KG-5

About school boards

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See also

School Boards	Education Policy	Local Politics	Washington
List of school districts in Washington Washington school board elections, 2025 School board elections, 2025 School board recalls School board authority in Washington	Washington Department of Education Public education in Washington	Municipal government Local courts Local ballot measures Recalls	Washington Washington elections, 2025 Washington State Legislature Washington state executive offices

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