Responsibilities of the Board of Directors:
- 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.
Meetings
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.
We Love to Hear From You
School board members encourage public participation. Your input is appreciated. If you would like to address 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.
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.
- To address the Board at a public meeting, submit a "Citizens' Request to Speak" card prior to the start of the meeting. Blank cards can be found at the entrance to the auditorium.
- The Superintendent will call your name when it is your turn to address the school board. Requests are generally taken on a first-come, first-served basis, although the Superintendent may group speakers based upon the subject matter.
- You will have up to three (3) minutes to share your comments.
- You will hear a tone when you have one (1) minute remaining.
- Additional time may be granted as a reasonable accommodation for a disability or language interpretation.
- The Board will not terminate comment based upon viewpoint. However, to maintain a respectful and efficient meeting, the Board President may interrupt or terminate comment if:
- The speech becomes irrelevant;
- The speech is repetitious;
- The speech is unlawful (e.g. hate speech, obscenity or defamation);
- The speaker exceeds the allotted time; or
- The speech or number of speakers prevent the board from conducting the meeting in an orderly manner.
- In keeping with state law, the Board may hear a complaint about an employee or one of the members of the board in executive session. We ask, however, that before you bring a complaint to us that you follow our policy by first raising the issue with the employee's supervisor. If that doesn't resolve the issue, then please take the matter to the superintendent.
- The Board may not respond to your comments at the meeting. Most issues require that the Board review of all available information and have time to deliberate before making a decision. The Board may delegate the response to a Tacoma Public Schools staff member.
- Tacoma Public Schools is committed to an environment where people feel safe, welcomed and respected. The Board respects our citizens' right to freedom of speech while balancing the Board's responsibilities. You may also address the school board by sending a letter or email to the Board or individual directors. Email addresses are available on the TPS website.
Student School Board Representatives
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.
Accessibility
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).
Accomodation - 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.
Non-Discrimination
Tacoma Public Schools does not discriminate in any programs or
activities on the basis 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 trained dog guide or service animal
and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth
groups.
The following employees have been designated to handle
questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Civil Rights
Coordinator: Lisa Nolan, 253-571-1252 lnolan@tacoma.k12.wa.us
Title
IX Coordinator: James Neil, 253-571-1123 jneil@tacoma.k12.wa.us
504 Coordinator:
Elementary-Steven Mondragon 253-571-1173 smondra@tacoma.k12.wa.us
Secondary-Jon Bell 253-571-1225 jbell2@tacoma.k12.wa.us
Address: P.O. Box 1357, Tacoma, WA 98401-1357
