Following the release of Superintendent Patrick Murphy’s formal Policy 6883 analysis recommending the closure of three elementary schools, the Olympia School District Board of Directors heard testimony regarding first-responder safety, educational equity and early-season staffing reassignments.
Prior to the 6:30 p.m. regular meeting, the board hosted an extended graduation ceremony at 6 p.m. to honor five summer graduates from Capital and Olympia high schools. Murphy commended graduates Ruby Vote, Leah Vasquez, Nalani Tobias, Solomon Warrior, and Delaney for demonstrating remarkable grit, resilience, and persistence in completing their diploma requirements.
The Sept. 24 meeting followed early-September staffing adjustments triggered by localized enrollment shifts. Roosevelt Elementary opened with 362 full-time equivalent (FTE) students, 28 students, or 8.4 percent, above budget projections — driven in part by new residential development.
Meanwhile, Hanson Elementary opened 38 students below budget, and Madison Elementary registered 160 students, 11 below projections. Because budget cuts eliminated contingency reserves, district administrators collapsed classrooms at Hanson and Madison to transfer teaching staff to Roosevelt to manage upper-grade class sizes.
Public comment focused on emergency response planning, demographic equity, and administrative spending. Moniar, a Madison Elementary parent, told the board she contacted local first responders after reviewing the consolidation report.
"Randy Haines, chief fire marshal in Olympia, called me directly, deeply concerned, and confirmed that the fire department was not consulted about this consolidation," Moniar testified, adding that Olympia Police Department Lt. Josh Markson similarly confirmed police had not been consulted regarding traffic or active-shooter response changes. "Tonight, I ask for you to slow down, do your due diligence, and you cannot claim innocence if something goes wrong," she said.
Julia Leverance, a McKenny Elementary parent and healthcare executive, raised questions about demographic equity and academic performance.
"The district's own reporting analysis identifies language diversity, socioeconomic factors, and equity as important considerations. Yet two of the district's more linguistically diverse elementary schools, McKenny and Madison, are among those proposed," Leverance testified. Noting McKenny’s strong academic outcomes, she added, "In education, behind every position and behind every child is a family, a community, and a teacher. If excess capacity is the challenge, I respectfully ask why one of the district's stronger performing schools is recommended for closure.”
Jake Lee, a combat veteran and Madison parent, spoke against displacing elementary students. "When you move young children out of their neighborhood schools, you shatter the sense of safety and stability," Lee testified. "Our children are not numbers on a spreadsheet.”
Collette Paulson, an Olympia School District parent, questioned whether central office costs faced equal scrutiny: "Have we really looked at every level of administration and every expenditure with the same scrutiny we are applying to programs that directly impact students?"
Melissa Pearson, an Olympia School District parent speaking virtually, criticized transit assumptions in the report, noting her son's bus ride regularly reaches 75 minutes. "Portables lack all the safety features that schools are increasingly required to have," Pearson said, raising concerns about space constraints at receiving campuses.
District administrators presented detailed answers to 14 questions raised by the board and public. Staff stated that the five designated receiving schools, Centennial, Garfield, Hansen, Pioneer, and Roosevelt elementaries have sufficient permanent planning capacity to absorb incoming students without using portables.
Murphy stated that aligning building infrastructure with reduced student headcount is necessary for long-term fiscal health.
Under Board Policy 6883 and state law, separate public hearings must be held for each school proposed for closure before the school board takes a final vote.
