Olympia families who want to speak before the school board ahead of a November vote on closing schools have until 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, to sign up for public comment at Thursday's regular meeting.
The Olympia School District Board of Directors meets at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Knox Administrative Center boardroom, 111 Bethel St. NE. The meeting will also be livestreamed via Zoom (Webinar ID: 889 3197 0883). Doors open at 6:20 p.m.
The session comes as the district moves toward a Nov. 12 board vote on school closures under a timeline Superintendent Patrick Murphy presented Aug. 6, The Olympian reported. Murphy is scheduled to deliver his formal consolidation proposal at the Sept. 17 board meeting under Policy 6883, making Thursday's meeting the last regular session before that proposal lands.
What's driving the closures
OSD is using about 66 percent of its permanent building capacity, with 9,448 students in spaces built for 14,402, Murphy told the board on Aug. 6. The district's average elementary enrollment is 319 students, compared with 449 at comparable Washington districts, according to the Jolt.
Hansen Elementary stands out: its capacity is 700 students, but enrollment was 342 this year and is projected to drop to 307. Murphy has not named specific schools for closure.
A previous attempt to close schools in 2023 was halted after a court found the board opened a 90-day public comment window without first providing the written analysis required by state law.
Public pushback at Aug. 13 meeting
At the board's Aug. 13 meeting, residents challenged the pace of the process, the Jolt reported. Erika Lari, an Olympia resident, said the plan was being forced through in the "dead of summer" without community consent. She said she would support a bond if it keeps schools open but vote against one tied to closures.
The timeline felt rushed to others, too. OSD parent Chelsee Heley raised concerns about data gaps, saying she knows at least 20 families who left OSD elementary schools for private school without ever receiving an unenrollment feedback form.
"This is something we've been talking about for years," Murphy said at the Aug. 13 meeting, responding to criticism about the pace.
What's next
After Thursday's meeting, the board holds a summer retreat at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at Knox Administrative Center. That session is open to the public but does not include public comment.
Murphy's formal closure proposal is due Sept. 17. Under Policy 6883, at least one public hearing must be held for every school proposed for closure, no sooner than 10 business days after his written analysis is posted online. The board's final vote is scheduled for Nov. 12.
Sign-ups for Thursday's public comment are accepted only through the district's online process. The participant list will be posted the evening before the meeting in BoardDocs.
