Current Board Meeting Information

Meetings are held at Swift Water Elementary, 10811 Harbor Hill Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332, in the Community Room, starting at 6:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For questions, contact the School Board Office at (253) 530-1002.

Public Comments:

During Regular Business Meetings, you can address the board by signing up to speak on Agenda and Non-Agenda Items before the meeting begins. The Board President will call your name when it's your turn. 

Our board follows policy/procedure 1400/1400P, ensuring meetings are conducted civilly and orderly. 

• Each speaker has up to 3 minutes, adjusted if needed for disabilities or interpretation.
• No speaker can donate their time to another.
• Speak only once per meeting.
• Comments are for the board to listen; no dialogue will occur.
• The board's silence is neutral, not signaling agreement or disagreement.
• Clarifying questions may be asked, and follow-up may occur later.
• Be mindful of legal implications in your remarks.

For handouts, email is preferred; hardcopies can be given to the Executive Assistant.

Feedback should start with those closest to the situation, such as teachers or principals.

Under the state’s Open Public Meetings Act, we are required to accept public comments at any meeting during which action is taken. However, the format in which these comments are accepted is at the discretion of the board. Some boards restrict comments to an overall time limit, accept comments in writing, or limit comments to agenda items only.

We have always welcomed in-person comments on any issue at our meetings and avoided limiting the number of speakers. Unfortunately, there has been a shift in tone that is impacting the welcoming and professional environment we strive to maintain. It’s important to remember that these meetings are business meetings of the school board held in public, not public town halls or stages for debate.

As board members, we are elected to serve you – our community. We take our jobs seriously and we greatly value the insights our families, students, and citizens bring forward to improve our schools. In order to preserve the focus of our meetings, we are making some adjustments to the agenda and public comment process. 

New Adjustments to the Public Comment Process:

1. Staff Presentations will be moved to the beginning of the meeting.
   This allows more people to become informed about the work being done in our schools and may answer questions raised during public comments.

2. Two Distinct Comment Periods:

   • The first period will be for comments on agenda items before action is taken.
   • The second period will be for comments on non-agenda items later in the meeting.