Shannon McMinimee will join Tacoma Public Schools as general counsel with an anticipated start date of Aug. 1. Superintendent Art Jarvis announced his appointment of McMinimee today as a replacement for long-time General Counsel Susan Schreurs, who leaves the district this month.
McMinimee brings educational experience from both the public sector, as an attorney for Seattle Public Schools, and private practice, as a school district specialist for the Seattle office of Preg O’Donnell & Gillett.
“You can’t just simply replace someone like Susan Schreurs, who has spent 25 years serving our district with distinction and becoming known as the pre-eminent public schools general counsel in the State of Washington,” Jarvis said.
“With that said, I am pleased we have found someone of Shannon’s caliber. She’s bright and has the right blend of experience in many of the latest important issues facing school districts.”
In 2006, McMinimee joined the General Counsel's Office for the Seattle School District, where she represented and advised the district on a wide variety of legal issues, including all special education, constitutional, and enrollment matters. She successfully defended the district in numerous high profile suits in King County Superior Court and before the Washington Court of Appeals; handled more than 100 matters before the Office of Administrative Hearings; investigated and responded to more than 50 regulatory complaints by state and federal agencies; and assisted in the defense of the district’s student assignment plan before the U.S. Supreme Court.
McMinimee also regularly provided guidance to the school board and senior leadership on major initiatives, as well as daily advice to building-based administrators on an array of legal issues. She also drafted numerous policies and procedures and provided frequent trainings for district staff on topics ranging from preventing and reporting educator sexual misconduct to student speech and religious accommodation.
McMinimee joined Preg, O'Donnell, & Gillett in March 2010, and has continued to represent school districts in special education matters before the Office of Administrative Hearings and the U.S. District Court for the Western District and in general litigation matters before Superior Courts, the Washington Court of Appeals, and the Washington Supreme Court. She has also continued to provide training on a wide variety of topics to a number of school districts.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to work with Tacoma Public Schools and serve the diverse Tacoma community,” McMinimee said. “I’ve lived in Tacoma in the past, so I am familiar with the community, and I am looking forward to working with the staff to help them further their efforts to provide a quality education for all Tacoma students.”
McMinimee graduated with honors from the University of Washington School of Law in 2003, where she served as a managing editor for the Washington Law Review. She received Bachelor's Degrees in Political Science and Societies and Justice from the University of Washington in 2000. She has served as a guest speaker or presenter for a wide range of legal conferences and seminars. She first earned the distinction of Rising Star in the legal profession from Washington Law & Politics in 2007.
McMinimee’s starting salary will be $143,064.