School Board

School board members encourage public participation. Your input is appreciated. If you would like to interact with the school board, you can do so in the following ways:

Email/Phone
Find contact info for each Director​, email address and telephone number, or you can send them all an email at once. Please allow at least two (2) business days for a response. 

Public Meetings
The Tacoma Public School Board values public input.  Thank you for coming to our meeting and providing comments. Please note that Board meetings are public, televised and recorded.  Read our Guidelines for Public Comments at Board Meetings.

Members of the Public Wishing to Address the Board 

NOTE ALTERNATE PROTOCOLS:

School board members encourage public participation. Your civil input is appreciated. Board members will not respond to your comments during the meeting. The Superintendent or her designee will follow-up with you after the meeting if action is needed. Instead of speaking at a meeting, you may also send an email to the board at board@tacoma.k12.wa.us.

OPTION 1: IN-PERSON OPEN MEETING:

1. If you would like to address the school board during the In-Person Open Meeting, you will need to sign-up for free tickets in advance in order to gain entry to the meeting.
2. The link for the school board meeting tickets is located on the board’s web page.
3. Once at the meeting, complete a “Citizen’s Request to Speak” card, which is located at the back of the auditorium. Submit the card to the school board secretary PRIOR to the start of the meeting. Cards submitted after the public comment period has ended will not be considered at this session.
4. The Superintendent will call your name when it is your turn to address the school board. Please speak into the microphone. Please leave your mask on while speaking.
5. You may have up to three minutes to share your comments, or, if there are a large number of speakers, time may be limited at the President’s discretion.
6. ACCOMMODATION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES OR THOSE FACING INCREASED-RISK OF COVID-19 AS DEFINED BY THE CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fneed-extra-precautions%2Fpeople-at-increased-risk.html

• If you are able to attend an in-person meeting but need accommodation in order to address the board, please contact the board secretary, tjones4@tacoma.k12.wa.us or 253-571-1443 at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.
• If you are unable to attend an in-person meeting due to increased risk of COVID-19 and you want to address the board, an alternate protocol for submitting a pre-recorded video has been established in order to accommodate qualified individuals. Please contact the board secretary tjones4@tacoma.k12.wa.us at least 72 hours prior to the meeting. 
• Alternatively, you may email the board at board@tacoma.k12.wa.us or use Option 2.

OPTION 2: WRITTEN COMMENT:

1. Prepare a written statement that will be attached to the board agenda and meeting minutes.
2. Because this will be a public document, it is recommended that you prepare the statement in a separate document using an application such as Microsoft Word. At the top of the document, please identify yourself and the subject matter (a title) for your statement. Please do not include your phone number, address or email address unless you want that personal identifying information included in the public record.
3. Submit your written statement via email to the school board secretary 24-hours PRIOR to the start of the meeting. Statements submitted after the deadline will not be considered at this session.
4. Statements should be emailed to tjones4@tacoma.k12.wa.us or board@tacoma.k12.wa.us. Please specify in your email that your letter is "For Public Comment."
5. Typically, the board allows up to three (3) minutes for you to share verbal comments. A three (3) minute verbal statement converts to approximately 300-500 words or up to 2 pages double spaced. Please limit your written statement to this guideline.
6. During the meeting, the Superintendent will read into the record your name and the subject matter (title) of your statement. The Superintendent will not read your statement aloud during the meeting. However, your statement will be linked to the agenda so that members of the public will be able to read your statement.
7. Your statement will also be linked to the meeting minutes for future reference.
8. Members of the board will also review your written statement.

• ​Hiring and evaluating the Superintendent;
• Establishing policies for governing the school district;
• Adopting a balanced budget each year;
• Having legal and fiduciary authority for the school district;
• Adopting instructional materials; and
• Serving as community representatives to the district and on behalf of the district.

School Board meetings begin at 6:00pm and are held in the 4th Floor Auditorium at the Central Administration Building at 601 South 8th Street in Tacoma, unless otherwise posted. (Get directions) All regular board business meetings and study session meetings are public and everyone is encouraged to attend. Executive sessions are closed to the public. Public parking and the main entrance are located on the west side of the building at South G Street.

• Business Meetings
  2nd and 4th Thursday of the month, except for once monthly meeting in July/August/December.
• Study Sessions
  3rd Thursday of the month, as needed.
• Meeting Calendar
  View past and upcoming school board meeting dates.

When the board adopted its 2018-19 budget in August 2018, it included $350,000 for election costs. Whenever school districts ask voters to approve a local levy or bond measure, the school district must bear its share of the election costs, and the amount is included and accounted for in the school board's budget.

(Note: To help close the school district's 2018-19 budget deficit, the district decided to delay a previously anticipated bond election and eliminate the $350,000 expenditure from the 2018-19 budget.)

School board members do not receive a salary. The board budget includes per diem ($50 per day) payments for board members attending board meetings or performing other services for the district. State law limits each board member to a maximum compensation of $4,800 per year. Policy 1733R

The board budget includes items such as travel costs for board members traveling on district business, some legal costs, $100,000 the school district pays for state audits and memberships in board organizations such as the Washington State School Directors Association and the National School Boards Association.

The school board budget also includes the cost of salary and benefits for the board's executive assistant.

The All-City Senate elects two student representatives to the school board each year. These representatives attend school board meeting and share the ideas and concerns of students attending the district's high schools.

The Board of Directors' meetings are accessible to all regardless of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a guide dog or trained service animal (a service animal is an animal that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability).

Accommodation - Persons requiring accommodations for a disability in order to attend a Board meeting (including the services of a sign language interpreter) should contact the District's ADA Coordinator at 253.571.1250, before 4:30 p.m., at least three working days before the meeting to ensure that the District has sufficient time to implement appropriate accommodations.

Interpreter - Individuals requesting a language interpreter for a Board meeting for any language, other than a sign language interpreter, should contact the Board Office at 253.571.1443 before 4:30 p.m., at least three working days before the meeting to ensure that the District has sufficient time to identify an interpreter. ​