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School Board Meetings

School Board Meetings

The Board of Directors conducts a variety of meetings. Each of these meetings, with the exception of closed sessions, are open to the public, but are not meetings of the public. The purpose of the meetings is to conduct School District business and to provide the members of the Board an opportunity to discuss issues with each other and with staff scheduled on the agenda. To clarify, we provide the following definitions of meetings:

Regular Meeting: This is a business meeting held on a scheduled date, usually the second Thursday of each month. Action may be taken. State law requires public school districts to meet once per month. 

Special Meeting: This is a business meeting held on a date other than a regularly scheduled meeting. Action may be taken.

Emergency Meeting: This is a business meeting scheduled with at least two hours notice to the public. An emergency meeting is usually called to address a situation that must be handled immediately. Action may be taken.

Executive/Exempt Session: This is a session of the Board of Directors, during a meeting, which is not open to the public. Topics discussed during these closed sessions will be limited to those outlined in State law.

Work Session: This is a session during a meeting between Board members and staff to receive, study, and discuss information on one or more topics. 

Community Forum: This is a Special Meeting called by the Board to gather input on a specific topic or issue.  This meeting may be held at individual schools or in the community. 

Retreat: This is a planning session during a meeting between Board members and staff which could include a training session for Board members. 

Advance notice of regular board meetings is posted at the front of the Administration Building and on the Tumwater School District's Web Site School Board Meetings Agenda and Minutes section, and available in the Superintendent's Office. 

Board Meeting Procedures:

  • The first time that the Board, as a group, has an opportunity to discuss formally and act of business is at the Regular Board meeting.
  • The regular Board meeting is conducted according to the rules of conduct as set forth in the Washington Open Meetings Act and Robert's Rules of Order.
  • An opportunity for Public Comment will be scheduled during Regular School Board Meetings. Time limits for Public Comment have been established to ensure equitable time for each speaker and to ensure scheduled Board meeting business can be completed in a reasonable amount of time. For more information regarding time limits and how to sign up, click here.
  • Board members may address questions to citizens after they have spoken.
  • The Board will not entertain complaints regarding any individual staff member or student in public session unless that individual has requested a public hearing.
  • The Board President may determine whether or not to vote on items or to vote only to break a tie.
  • In the event of a conflict between the protocol and Roberts' Rules of Order, the protocol will control.

Interested in attending a School Board Meeting?

Meetings are held on the second and fourth Thursday of every month at 6 PM.  We encourage the public to participate via Livestream, or attend the meetings at the District Office located at 621 Linwood Ave. SW Tumwater, WA 98512.

The schedule of board meetings for the 2024-25 school year can be found here.   

The materials, including the agenda, being presented to the Board at a Regular Meeting can be found here

If you are unable to attend/view the Regular Board Meeting as it is occurring, recordings of meetings can be found here.  

PUBLIC COMMENT SIGN UP - Due by 12 PM on the day of the Regular Board meeting
Tumwater School District Regular Board Meetings are open to the public and allow for members of the public to attend and sign up to address the Board on a topic that interests them.  Board Workshops and Retreats are not required to provide time for Public Comment.  In order to allow the Board to conduct its business and give the opportunity for others to present, there is a process around Public Comment, which is outlined below:

  • Individuals wishing to comment in-person must fill out the Public Comment Form
  • Each speaker will have up to 3 minutes to present
  • A maximum of 30 minutes will be reserved on the agenda for all public comment
  • Comments regarding personnel issues will not be accepted in this forum
  • Any uncivil comments, as defined in Policy 1400 - Meeting Conduct, Order of Business and Quorum, will be considered a disruption and may result in the recess of the meeting

If you are unable to share your comments/concerns for any reason, you can either sign-up at the next regular meeting or you can email Board members. All district employees and Board members have the same email set up:  firstname.lastname@tumwater.k12.wa.us.