After more than two decades on the Tahoma School Board, Bill Clausmeyer is stepping down from his position on March 1, earlier than when his term expires in November 2019.

He said he made the tough decision to step down because he felt he needed to spend more time with his wife, Pam, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis just six weeks after he began his time on the school board in 1997.

Clausmeyer said he had considered stepping down from the board earlier on because of his wife’s illness, but felt the timing wasn’t right.

“I almost did not run in the 2015 election for these reasons, but we had the opening of the high school, I was certain we were going to have to get a new superintendent, so I just felt that I should be involved in those decisions,” he explained.

He said being Pam’s caregiver was starting to impinge on his availability to the school board.

Then, about two years ago his wife’s condition started to go into a downward spiral, to a point where Clausmeyer said she had to be moved into a nursing home.

“I had thought that knowing she would be safe and in caring hands, my time would be freer. While I don’t worry as much as I once did about her care needs, I find her emotional needs to be even more demanding. She so looks forward to my daily visits and is distressed when I am unable to make it. Like everyone else, I have to work to pay the bills. I go see Pam immediately afterwards. Every night I am in the district fulfilling a board obligation, is a day I am unable to visit Pam,” Clausmeyer said in a press release from the school district.

He continued with, “I’ve been on the school board for 22 years, but I’ve been married for almost 40. That’s where the balance was.”

Looking back to his time on the school board, Clausmeyer said he took the position because he wanted to make sure the board members at the time had a wide variety of people to choose from.

He said the person who served in his spot before him had joined the board right out of high school, and while he thought she did well, he also thought he would contribute to the board in a positive way with his life experiences

“I felt there was a need for more life experience in the spot. So I wanted to have my name in the pool to give them a decent election,” Clausmeyer said.

He said he has enjoyed his time on the board, making decisions and accomplishing a lot with his colleagues about important matters.

One of the more recent accomplishments Clausmeyer spoke about was the building of the new Tahoma High School.

Another aspect of the school and district that he said he is most proud of is how he and other board members have guided the district and its staff through so many changes and requirements for education, and are still one of the highest rated districts in the state.

“I’m very proud of how we maintained that all these years,” he said.

He said one of the biggest differences that has occurred over the years is the amount of students enrolled at the school district.

When Clausmeyer first started on the board, he said there were about 4,000 students, but now there are about 8,500 students in the Tahoma School District.

With an increase in students in a short amount of time, Clausmeyer said it was very difficult to keep up with the boundaries in the area.

“Consistently over 22 years, or almost, every time you have to draw a new boundary and change which school (they have) to go to and what bus to take, those have always been heartrending experiences because it’s so personal to everyone to have to break up. And all that growth over all that time, made for many, many boundary changes and many opportunities for a lot of angst,” he said.

With that said, Clausmeyer said having to move teachers who were spread out around the district into one school when the new high school opened was a bit of a challenge as well.

School Board President Mary Jane Glaser said Clausmeyer has been a steady influence with the board’s visions, goals and leadership growth.

“As the school board prepares to choose a new (board member), we will undoubtedly reflect on Bill’s institutional knowledge and thoughtful ways when we deliberate. His contributions to the board and district are his legacy to past, current and future Tahoma students, staff and community. Bill will be missed,” Glaser said.

Clausmeyer said there’s not much he would change looking back over his years on the school board.

“I really think my particular approach to the work has helped a lot to build cohesiveness amongst the board, and the leadership and I will miss having that. Virtually every Tuesday of my life in the past at least decade has been for school board things. I will miss being able to make that contribution,” he said. “You kind of get involved in the work and it’s hard to let go if you think you’re contributing and making difference.”

For more information on the soon-to-be vacant school board position visit, www.tahomasd.us/news/announcements/applicants_sought_for_school_board_vacancy.

Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1.