Tumwater leaders express frustration over absence of school district officials at meeting

A potential joint meeting between the Tumwater City Council and Tumwater School District fell through due to the nonappearance of school district staff.

The meeting proceeded with only two school board members, Melissa Beard and Julie Watts, who were in attendance to speak for themselves and not for the district on Tuesday, April 11.

Mayor Leatta Dahlhoff said the meeting was intended to serve as an opportunity to connect with the school district and set expectations moving forward, following changes to the School Resource Officer (SRO) program. 

Former SRO Tyler Boling, who was stationed at Tumwater High School and Bush Middle School for eight years, was recently reassigned to the patrol division to help meet minimum staffing levels, according to the Tumwater Police Department (TPD).

City Administrator Paul Simmons detailed the extensive attempts made by the city to coordinate the joint meeting, saying that he did not receive any response. 

“We offered a couple of dates — we didn't hear anything back,” Simmons said. “We reached out again. We didn't hear anything back. We reached out again within a couple more days, we didn't hear anything back.” 

Simmons said while city staffers were working to work through solutions, an accusation that the city had breached its SRO contract appeared as an agenda item at a school board meeting with only a 24-hour notice. 

Simmons recalled attending the school board meeting, where he requested the board meet with the council. He said he was later informed that only two board members would be present, but would be accompanied by district staff. 

He added it was only on late Monday, April 13, that he learned that staffers were instructed not to attend. He said the school district had an issue with its logo appearing on the meeting agenda, which would mean the meeting was considered an official discussion. 

Dahlhoff also spoke about the issue. 

“I'm not going to be bullied to remove a logo and change a title,” said Dahlhoff toward the end of the meeting. “That is a waste of my time, that is a waste of your time.” 

Nevertheless, the mayor said the city would continue to engage with the school district. 

“If not, it's going to be really uncomfortable for you because we're not stopping,” Dahlhoff said. “Let's focus on where we overlap. Let's move forward together. And I ask those who are not present to really consider the legacy that you're leaving. "

Sought for comment, the Tumwater School District did not responded as of press time as to why none of its staff attended the meeting. 

One SRO is sufficient 

Part of the meeting featured updates from city staff, the police department, and Thurston County Sheriff’s Office about how to move forward. 

Acting TPD Chief Carlos Quiles said despite concerns, the single remaining SRO, Officer Seth Stauffer, has been doing well with the support of the department.  

“Officer Stauffer has been delivering outstanding level of service,” Quiles said.  “To date, I have not been notified of any calls, issues or investigations that have not been handled by our SRO and, or with support of our patrol staff.” 

To address the temporary staffing gap, Quiles outlined several interim measures. That includes increasing officer visits to the schools and boosting school zone enforcement in partnership with the sheriff's office.  

Additionally, former SRO Boling has continued to attend major student events to maintain his established relationships with the students, despite his reassignment. 

If a second SRO is not reinstated by September, Quiles said he is confident Stauffer can manage the workload.  

He also said Sheriff Derek Sanders has expressed his willingness to support the program if necessary. 

“We only used to have one SRO for a really long time, and it worked just fine,” Quiles said. “Is it ideal? No. Is it the worst case scenario? No.” 

Dahlhoff also asked the two attending school board members how they could move forward without district staff present.  

Beard said she will always support the partnership. Given the school board’s strong reaction to losing an SRO, Beard said that the board likely wants more support for the SRO program.

The sentiment is shared by the police department. Lieutenant  Jennifer Kolb, the manager of the SRO program, said the ultimate goal is to have four SROs. 

Beard also expressed hope for further engagement through smaller group meetings with select representatives from the city and the school district.

Alternatively, council members discussed the possibility of attending a school board meeting to speak with board members directly.