The Olympia School District board meets Thursday, Oct. 1, for a work session as the district moves toward a November vote on closing three elementary schools.

The session begins at 6 p.m. at the Knox 111 Administrative Center, 111 Bethel St. NE, in Olympia. Doors reopen at 5:50 p.m. The session is also available via Zoom.

The public may attend to observe but cannot offer comment during work sessions, according to the district's meeting notice. Residents who need disability accommodations can contact the Clerk of the Board at 360-596-6114 at least two days in advance. A recording will be posted to BoardDocs within 48 hours.

The specific agenda for Thursday's session has not been published. The meeting follows Superintendent Patrick Murphy's Friday, Sept. 25, video update on the district's long-term planning process, which he described as covering "where we currently stand and what comes next."

Murphy proposed Sept. 14 closing Madison, McKenny and LP Brown elementary schools. The district's Policy 6883 analysis estimates the closures would save about $3.14 million a year, according to the district's long-term planning FAQ page. Removing the three buildings from the long-range capital plan would avoid roughly $137 million in projected facility costs, The JOLT reported.

Under the proposal, McKenny students would move to Pioneer and Centennial elementary schools. Madison students would go to Roosevelt Elementary. LP Brown students would shift to Hansen and Garfield.

The district's enrollment has dropped from 10,014 students in 2019-20 to 9,448 in 2025-26. BERK Consulting projects that number falling to 8,483 by 2033-34, according to the district FAQ. Murphy told the board on Aug. 6 that the district is using about 66% of its permanent building capacity, as The Olympian reported.

Parents have pushed back.

Kristin Booth, an Olympia parent with a child at McKenny, wrote in a Sept. 20 letter published by The JOLT that "the OSD Board of Directors deliberations should be based on a thorough, student-centered comparison of all available choices." Parent advocacy group OSD4All has challenged the district's building utilization metrics, arguing the district added 1,758 elementary seats over the past decade and that enrollment projections missed the mark at four schools.

A previous attempt to close schools in 2023 stalled after a court found the board opened a public comment period without first providing a required written analysis.

Three public hearings on the current proposal are scheduled: McKenny Elementary on Monday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m.; LP Brown Elementary on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m.; and Madison Elementary on Monday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. The board is scheduled to vote Nov. 12.