08/28/2026
📚 Tahoma School Board — Cliff Notes for Local Families
I attended the latest Tahoma School Board meeting, so here are the quick highlights for anyone who wants to stay informed — especially if you’re considering attending a future meeting or giving public comment.
📊 Academics & Attendance
* ELA proficiency goal: 71.8%
* Math proficiency goal: 63.5%
* Attendance goal: 85% of students attending at least 90% of the time
* One attendance change involves situations where a student misses a significant portion of a class being classified as an “extended tardy” rather than an absence.
* Why that matters: Absence and attendance data are important for schools and can have implications for state reporting and school funding. Reclassifying something from an absence to an extended tardy changes how that missed time appears in attendance records. I don’t know whether funding has anything to do with why the district made the change, and I’m not assuming that it does. But I think it’s a reasonable question for parents to ask how extended tardies are counted toward attendance rates, truancy requirements, state reporting, and funding.
🎓 Running Start & the Budget
* Running Start was specifically discussed during the financial presentation as a major/highest cost to the district in last year’s budget information.
* The expectation discussed was that the cost/financial impact could be similar or potentially higher this year.
* Running Start has budget implications because participating students receive some or all of their instruction through a college rather than the high school, which affects how student enrollment/FTE and education funding are allocated.
* With the district already projecting a lower ending fund balance and declining enrollment, this is another budget area worth watching and asking questions about.
💰 District Finances
* Enrollment is down from the previous year.
* The projected year-end General Fund balance is lower than the beginning balance.
* The district projects 3+ months of negative General Fund cash flow.
* The district was not reporting borrowing from another district fund or needing an advance of state apportionment funds for current expenses.
📋 Policies Discussed
* Student enrollment language concerning citizenship/immigration status
* Employee leave-sharing language involving immigration-enforcement actions
* Unemployment language discussed specifically in connection with employees who strike
* Policy 3124: student release during school hours and parental permission for 11th/12th-grade off-campus lunch
* District non-voter-approved debt provisions
* Military-family and employee immunization/infection-control policy revisions
Some items were still first readings/proposed changes, while agenda items 5.06–5.08 were approved and adopted.
Quick disclaimer: I’m definitely not a school-policy or school-budget expert 😂 I’m just a local parent/community member attending these meetings and doing my best to understand and share what’s being discussed. Please look through the board materials yourself and ask the district questions if something matters to you — I may not interpret every detail perfectly!
📣 See something you have questions or concerns about? Look into it, come to the next meeting, and consider using public comment to respectfully share your own perspective.
You don’t have to agree with me — or anyone else. I just want more local families to know what’s happening, ask questions, and feel comfortable showing up.
🇺🇸 Local government works better when the community actually participates.
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