Families rally to 'fund our school' after SPS releases closure proposal

SEATTLE— Dozens of students, parents and community members gathered outside Sacajawea Elementary School on Wednesday to try to keep the lights on.

All the preschoolers here don’t deserve to go to school and then just have to leave,” said an emotional student during the meeting. “That’s not fair. Please do not close our school.”

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) announced earlier this month the district will close four under-enrolled elementary schools as it struggles with a A budget deficit of $94 million.

SPS did not respond to requests for comment after Wednesday morning’s meeting.

“This consolidation is part of a larger strategy to stabilize our finances. By closing these four under-enrolled schools, we will begin building a stronger, more sustainable school system,” the district wrote in a statement last week. “This is the best way to ensure our district continues to provide the high-quality education our students deserve.”

“Closing schools doesn’t really solve the budget problem,” said one parent. “It’s tearing communities apart. It’s hurting children. It’s damaging their mental health and we need to be able to keep our schools together.”

Preliminary advice for the school board is the following:

Northwest Region: North Beach Elementary is closing and will consolidate with Viewlands Elementary
Northeast region:Sacajawea Elementary is closing and will consolidate with John Rogers Elementary
Central region:Stevens Elementary is closing and will consolidate with Montlake Elementary
Southwestern region: Sanislo Elementary is closing and will consolidate with Highland Park Elementary

When making decisions about school closures, the district considered factors such as building conditions, the learning environment, enrollment needs and how disruptive the changes would be to students and families.

Other measures SPS has reportedly taken to address the budget deficit include advocating for legislative support, downsizing central offices, changing bell school hours and renewing fees. The district will also conduct an enrollment survey by December to guide recruitment and retention efforts and increase enrollment.

SPS planned to hold engagement sessions at affected schools and provide weekly in-person support through Nov. 23.

In addition, a district-wide information session will take place on November 14 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

The district initially released two options that would have saved $31.5 million and $25.5 million, respectively. It was intended to close a budget gap of about $94 million, boosted by student enrollment reductions and less federal funding.

Enrollment has declined since its peak in 1964 at 94,042 students.

Total enrollment for the current school year is about 48,000 students, and school officials said they don’t expect that to recover anytime soon.

Amid the budget deficit SPS approved a significant wage increase of nearly $25,000 for the superintendent earlier this month.