Tacoma School District board directs interviews for four finalists for vacant position No. 2

At a Tacoma School District board meeting, members moved and approved interview invitations for four finalists to fill vacant position No. 2: Shauna Freeman Lane, Jacob Romney and Daniel Knox, plus one candidate who accepted an interview during the Feb. 26 board meeting. The board’s chair nominated the first candidate and motions to invite each nominee were seconded and approved by voice vote; staff were directed to extend the interview offers.

The action followed a process the chair described at the start of the session: open the floor for nominations, consider nominees one at a time and continue until nominations were exhausted. The board confirmed it had reviewed all 25 applicants before proceeding. General counsel recommended moving forward with the slate presented at the meeting.

Nomination details: the chair nominated Shauna Freeman Lane and a fellow board member seconded the nomination; the board voted in favor and staff were directed to offer her an interview. The board later moved and approved interview invitations for Jacob Romney and Daniel Knox after similar motions and seconds. The transcript records each item being carried by voice vote and the chair noting that a majority supported moving the nominees forward; the meeting did not record an exact numeric tally for the votes.

Board members did not provide substantive on-the-record remarks about the candidates’ qualifications in the transcript excerpt provided; the meeting’s action was procedural — directing staff to invite the listed applicants to interview. The chair also noted that the previously accepted candidate from the Feb. 26 meeting will join the three newly advanced nominees, creating a total of four interviewees for the vacancy.

With no further business, the board announced regular business meeting dates for March 12 and March 26 and adjourned.