The Olympia School Board has revised its protocol for hearing public comment at regular board meetings.

Effective in January 2023, OSD students, speaking on any topic, and members of the public wishing to speak to the school board regarding an item on the meeting agenda, will be given priority to address the board during “Public Comment: Items related to the agenda” at the beginning of each regular board meeting prior to the meeting’s reports.

Public comments on topics not included on the meeting’s agenda will be welcome during “Public Comment: Other” scheduled at the end of the meeting after individual board member comments and student representative reports.

Depending on the number of people speaking, each speaker on the public comment list will have up to three (3) minutes to speak.

Effective February 8, 2023, if more than 20 people sign up to speak, the board may shorten the amount of time to comment. The board president will review comment topics and determine a speaking order which may, depending on the number of speakers, include all speakers during the first “Public Comment: Items related to the agenda” time.

Board President Darcy Huffman said this protocol gives the board the opportunity to:

• Increase efficiency by focusing on agenda items, allowing us to conduct board and district business in a timely, fair, respectful and responsible manner.
• Prioritize student voice.
• Respect staff in attendance who are there to present an agenda item.
• Consider our student representatives’ time commitment.
• Hear and value all community voices without time limits or interruptions.

To review the Audience Participation Policy, visit OSD Board Policy 1430.

Effective February 8, 2023, the superintendent’s office will accept sign-ups for the public comment list from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. the day before the regular board meeting, which is usually scheduled the second and fourth Thursdays of each month unless noted otherwise (holiday). Sign-ups to comment in-person or via Zoom will only be accepted through this sign-up process.

The final list of public comment participants will be posted by 5 p.m. the day before the meeting in BoardDocs on the specific meeting page in the “Opening” category under the Public Comment section.

Note:

• Only the person who plans to speak to the board may request a spot on the list to speak. You cannot request a spot or speak at the board meeting on behalf of someone else.
• If complete information is not provided, you will not be included on the list to speak. The Superintendent’s Office will not follow up to obtain correct information or tell you where you are on the list.
• Public comments are not accepted during a board work session.
• To request disability accommodations, please call the board clerk three days before the meeting date at (360) 596-6114. Persons with speech or hearing disabilities may call via Washington Relay at 711 or 800-833-6388.

The following is submitted by Ryan Howland, OSD director of projects and grants. Howland supports the work of the Equity Policy Steering Committee along with Facilitator Kimberlee Armstrong, Ed.D.

District policy is the cornerstone of implementing systemic change within a school district. We are closer to creating a district Equity Policy that uniquely represents all students, staff and families in Olympia.

The OSD Equity Policy Steering Committee (EPSC) is launching student-first and community-driven Equity Policy Focus Groups, starting with student-first focus groups in early November. Students, employees or community members who would like to host a focus group and share the information collected with the district have three options:

1. Invite District Equity Focus Group Team members to moderate a focus group at a mutually agreed upon time and location;
2. Invite District Equity Focus Group Team members to co-moderate a focus group on-site; OR,
3. Self-facilitate a focus group and share data gathered with OSD.

Self-facilitated focus group moderators will have access to an EPSC Focus Group Toolkit, which provides an outline for how to lead a focus group along with important considerations from subject matter experts. Focus group moderators may also attend evening sessions with facilitator Kimberlee Armstrong, Ed.D., to receive additional training and preparation and have questions answered before their focus group takes place.

Stay tuned for more information about the Equity Policy Development process, including how to sign up for a focus group. Information is also available on the Equity Policy Development webpage on the district website.

Please send questions to equity@osd.wednet.edu and someone will contact you as soon as possible.

The Olympia School Board has unanimously agreed to appoint Talauna Reed to fill the District 2 board director position vacated by Justin McKaughan, who resigned effective August 31, 2022. The board voted on the appointment following an executive session at the October 13, 2022 board meeting. 

Reed will take the oath of office during the next board meeting on Thursday, October 27. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Knox Administrative Center, 111 Bethel St. N.E., Olympia, WA, 98506. She will serve a one-year term through December 2023. 

Reed is the Lead Outreach and Advocacy Navigator at Interfaith Works where she works with unhoused community members. In that capacity, Reed facilitates training in Cultural Diversity, de-escalation, restorative justice models, anti-racism and trauma-informed care across multiple organizations and in collaboration with other Thurston County providers. She facilitates meetings in the community where she educates audiences with tools for dismantling white supremacy in order to create a more equitable society. 

Reed has two children who attended Olympia schools. She has a bachelor’s degree in organizational management and was named a YWCA “Womxn of Achievement” in 2020 as part of the organization’s annual Olympia event. The YWCA describes the award as a way to amplify and celebrate inspiring South Sound community members as part of its collective work to bring about racial and gender justice. 

The Olympia School District Board of Directors is seeking candidates interested in filling the vacant board position representing Director District 2.

The seat was vacated on August 31, 2022 by Justin McKaughan, who moved out of District 2. McKaughan was elected to the Olympia School Board in 2019. His four-year term expires in 2023. Board policy states the vacancy will be filled by board appointment.

Interested applicants may fill out and submit an online application form. The deadline to submit an application is 5 p.m. on Monday,  September 26, 2022.

More information, including a link to view the District 2 boundary map, is available on the District 2 Director Application Process webpage

Darcy Huffman, who joined the Olympia School Board in December 2021, is the new board vice president and will serve in that role until the next school board reorganization in December 2022.

Huffman assumed the role of vice president at the June 23, 2022 regular board meeting following a unanimous vote by the board. Previously, the role was held by Director Justin McKaughan, who recently announced his resignation as a board director, effective August 31, 2022. McKaughan announced he will move out of District 2 and will no longer be eligible to serve on the board after August.

McKaughan was elected to the Olympia School Board in 2019. His four-year term expires in 2023. The board will follow district policy, which states that the vacancy be filled by board appointment.

President Maria Flores noted that the board has 90 days to appoint someone to fill McKaughan’s vacancy after his departure on August 31, 2022. The board is currently in the planning phase of the recruitment process for the District 2 board seat.

Flores added that the board will receive applications from qualified individuals interested in filling the District 2 seat until the next regularly-scheduled board election. Details about the application process will be announced in district communications.