Tumwater School District, Washington, elections

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Tumwater School District
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District details
School board members: 5
Next election: November 4, 2025
Students: 6,461 (2022-2023)
Schools: 15 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

Tumwater School District is a school district in Washington (Thurston County). During the 2023 school year, 6,461 students attended one of the district's 15 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

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Tumwater School District school board District 1

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Tumwater School District school board District 1

Sarah Overbay and Julie Watts are running in the general election for Tumwater School District school board District 1 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Sarah Overbay (Nonpartisan)
Julie Watts (Nonpartisan)

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Tumwater School District school board District 3

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

Special general election for Tumwater School District school board District 3

Ty Kuehl and Daniel Mies are running in the special general election for Tumwater School District school board District 3 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Ty Kuehl (Nonpartisan)
Daniel Mies (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Tumwater School District school board District 4

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Tumwater School District school board District 4

Melissa Determan Beard and Aimee Staudt are running in the general election for Tumwater School District school board District 4 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Melissa Determan Beard (Nonpartisan)
Aimee Staudt (Nonpartisan)

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Tumwater School District school board District 5

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Tumwater School District school board District 5

Mike McGowan and Rob Warner are running in the general election for Tumwater School District school board District 5 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Mike McGowan (Nonpartisan)
Rob Warner (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Per our coverage scope, Ballotpedia does not provide election results for this particular race. Check your city or county government's election website for vote totals.

Tumwater School District school board District 1

General election

General election for Tumwater School District school board District 1

Jill Tokarczyk Adams and Jeff Curry ran in the general election for Tumwater School District school board District 1 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
Jill Tokarczyk Adams (Nonpartisan)
Jeff Curry (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Per our coverage scope, Ballotpedia does not provide election results for this particular race. Check your city or county government's election website for vote totals.

Tumwater School District school board District 2

General election

General election for Tumwater School District school board District 2

Casey Taylor ran in the general election for Tumwater School District school board District 2 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
Casey Taylor (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Per our coverage scope, Ballotpedia does not provide election results for this particular race. Check your city or county government's election website for vote totals.

Tumwater School District school board District 3

General election

General election for Tumwater School District school board District 3

Scott Killough ran in the general election for Tumwater School District school board District 3 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
Scott Killough (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board nonpartisan primary elections in Washington are held on the first Tuesday in August every two years in odd-numbered years. School board primary elections are only held if more than two candidates file to run for a school board member seat. If only two candidates run, the primary is canceled and both candidates advance to the general election.

School board general elections in Washington are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in odd-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.52.220 and RCW 29A.04.311 and Washington Statute RCW 29A.04.330

Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: May 16, 2025
  • Primary election date: August 5, 2025
  • General election date: November 4, 2025

Election system

School board members in Washington are elected through a system of a nonpartisan primary election and a nonpartisan general election. School board primary elections are only held if more than two candidates file to run for a school board member seat. If only two candidates run, the primary is canceled and both candidates advance to the general election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.52.220 and RCW 29A.52.210

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Washington are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Washington statute specifies partisan and nonpartisan offices. Washington has a top-two primary system, which means all candidates appear on the same primary ballot regardless of party affiliation. The top-two candidates advance to the general. For partisan races, candidates can but do not have to express a preference for a political party. If they do, the ballot specifies their party preference. For nonpartisan races, candidates cannot express a party preference. RCW 28A.343.330 states that, "the positions of school directors and the candidates therefor shall appear separately on the nonpartisan ballot."

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.52.210 and RCW 28A.343.330

Winning an election

The school board candidate that receives the largest number of votes in the general election is elected to office.

The top two school board candidates with the most votes in the nonpartisan primary advance to the general election. If only two candidates file for the primary election, the primary will be canceled and they will automatically advance to the general election. School board primary elections are only held if more than two candidates file to run for a school board member seat.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.010 and Washington Statute RCW 29A.04.127

Term length and staggering

Elected school board members in Washington have four-year terms, except for school districts classified as first-class school districts containing a city of the first-class in a county with a population of two hundred ten thousand or more, can have their board of directors serving six-year terms. As of 2022, only Spokane, Tacoma, and Everett School Districts serve 6-year terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.300 and RCW 29A.04.340

Washington school districts have staggered elections based on the rule that not more than a majority of board members can be elected at any election. This means that for all districts with four-year board member terms, as close to half of board members as possible are elected every two years. Four years is the default board member term length. As of 2022, Spokane, Tacoma, and Everett school district board members serve six-year terms with as close to one-third of board members up for election every two years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.300 and 28A.343.600

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members are elected at large, by district, or through a combination of the two, depending on the classification of the school district. Any school district in the state that has a student enrollment in its public schools of two thousand pupils or more is a school district of the first class. Any other school district is a school district of the second class.

Most school districts classified as First Class Districts can elect their school board members either entirely at large or entirely by sub-districts.

School districts classified as Second Class Districts must elect their school board members either at large or by director districts (sub-district). Districts opting for a combination of board members elected by sub-district and at large generally must have three members elected from sub-districts and two members elected at large.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute 28A.343.02028A.343.680, and 28A.300.065 and Washington Statute 28A.343.020 and 28A.343.680 and Washington Statute 28A.343.680

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

The school board candidate filing deadline is on the Friday following the Monday that is two weeks before Memorial Day. This means the filing deadline is 74 days before the August primary and 172 days before the November general election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.24.050

School board candidates cannot submit declarations of candidacy until the filling window opens on Monday two weeks before Memorial Day. This means the filing window opens 78 days before the August primary and 176 days before the November general election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.24.050

Newly elected school board members officially take office at the first board of directors meeting taking place after the results of the election have been certified.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.360

 


About the district

School board

The Tumwater School District consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Casey Taylor20192027
Ty Kuehl20242025
Jill Adams20222025
Darby Kaikkonen20192025
Melissa Beard20162025

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District map

Overlapping state house districts

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $5,718,000 $914 5%
Local: $34,759,000 $5,553 30%
State: $75,807,000 $12,112 65%
Total: $116,284,000 $18,579
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $111,813,000 $17,864
Total Current Expenditures: $96,511,000 $15,419
Instructional Expenditures: $58,786,000 $9,392 53%
Student and Staff Support: $12,760,000 $2,038 11%
Administration: $10,485,000 $1,675 9%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $14,480,000 $2,313 13%
Total Capital Outlay: $10,795,000 $1,724
Construction: $9,357,000 $1,494
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $176,000 $28
Interest on Debt: $4,317,000 $689

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2018-2019 57 70-74 30-39 44 21-39 60 60
2017-2018 57 75-79 30-39 45 21-39 61 59
2016-2017 54 65-69 20-29 44 40-59 59 55
2015-2016 57 70-74 40-49 46 40-59 55-59 58
2014-2015 55 60-64 20-29 49 21-39 55-59 56
2013-2014 73 75-79 50-59 65-69 40-59 70-74 74
2012-2013 72 80-84 40-49 60 40-59 70-74 73
2011-2012 70 80-84 40-49 55-59 50-59 65-69 72
2010-2011 67 70-74 50-59 55-59 50-59 70-74 68

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2018-2019 69 75-79 50-59 59 60-79 69 71
2017-2018 70 75-79 40-49 59 40-59 70 72
2016-2017 69 75-79 40-49 56 40-59 71 71
2015-2016 70 75-79 60-69 58 40-59 71 72
2014-2015 63 70-74 50-59 54 40-59 60-64 65
2013-2014 84 80-84 70-79 80-84 60-79 85-89 85
2012-2013 84 85-89 60-69 76 60-79 80-84 86
2011-2012 85 90-94 70-79 75-79 60-69 85-89 86
2010-2011 80 80-84 70-79 75-79 60-69 85-89 81

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 90 >=80 >=80 >=95 PS 80-89 90
2018-2019 90 >=80 >=50 >=90 PS 80-89 89
2017-2018 87 >=80 >=50 80-89 PS 80-89 87
2016-2017 86 >=80 >=50 70-79 >=50 80-89 87
2015-2016 84 >=80 >=50 70-79 PS 80-89 85
2014-2015 75 >=50 >=50 60-69 PS 60-69 76
2013-2014 82 >=80 >=50 70-79 PS >=90 83
2012-2013 80 >=50 >=50 80-89 >=50 60-79 80
2011-2012 83 >=80 >=50 60-79 >=50 >=50 84
2010-2011 82 >=50 60-79 60-79 >=50 PS 84

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 6,461 0.6
2021-2022 6,425 2.6
2020-2021 6,259 -3.8
2019-2020 6,495 -1.3
2018-2019 6,578 -3.6
2017-2018 6,814 1.1
2016-2017 6,741 4.3
2015-2016 6,450 4.0
2014-2015 6,192 -3.2
2013-2014 6,392 1.5
2012-2013 6,298 1.4
2011-2012 6,211 -1.9
2010-2011 6,330 0.7
2009-2010 6,287 0.2
2008-2009 6,274 -1.0
2007-2008 6,339 0.9
2006-2007 6,279 -9.9
2005-2006 6,901 10.1
2004-2005 6,203 0.7
2003-2004 6,161 0.2
2002-2003 6,150 -0.6
2001-2002 6,184 0.3
2000-2001 6,167 -0.9
1999-2000 6,222 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Tumwater School District (%) Washington K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.7 1.1
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 3.3 8.7
Black 2.5 4.8
Hispanic 16.0 25.6
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.6 1.4
Two or More Races 10.7 8.8
White 66.1 49.1

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Tumwater School District had 346.57 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 18.64.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 3.00
Kindergarten: 32.10
Elementary: 158.00
Secondary: 153.47
Total: 346.57

Tumwater School District employed 4.00 district administrators and 21.49 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 4.00
District Administrative Support: 26.10
School Administrators: 21.49
School Administrative Support: 33.62
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 61.42
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 18.50
Total Guidance Counselors: 18.02
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 7.80
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 10.22
Librarians/Media Specialists: 1.48
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 24.61
Other Support Services: 113.09

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

The Tumwater School District operates 15 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
A G West Black Hills High School8339-12
Black Lake Elementary379KG-5
Cascadia High School1098-12
East Olympia Elementary605PK-5
George Bush Middle School7476-8
Littlerock Elementary School355KG-5
Michael T Simmons Elementary479KG-5
New Market High School3110-12
New Market Skills Center11411-12
Peter G Schmidt Elementary578PK-5
Thurs Co Juv Det/Tumwater West E106-12
Tumwater High School1,1119-12
Tumwater Hill Elementary370PK-5
Tumwater Middle School6166-8
Tumwater Virtual Academy124KG-12

About school boards

Education legislation in Washington

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See also

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External links

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  • Footnotes