Sami West
Education Reporter
About
Sami West is a reporter covering schools in Seattle and across the Puget Sound region. She’s been on the education beat for over five years and has reported extensively on the countless ways COVID has impacted schools, students, and families. Her coverage has also focused on school finances, special education issues, the importance of early childhood education, and the growing youth mental health crisis.
Before joining KUOW in 2023, she wrote about education for Chalkbeat in Memphis, Tennessee, and two newspapers in Wisconsin. A Midwesterner at heart, Sami originally hails from Minnesota and holds degrees in journalism and English from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
When she’s not attending school board meetings or chasing other education news, Sami enjoys exploring the beautiful trails and abundant breweries of the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dog.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Education Writers Association
Stories
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'It's literally a skeleton.' Seattle School Board critiques plan for mass closures
Seattle School Board members are pressing district officials for answers on their new proposals to close up to 21 elementary and K-8 schools by next fall.
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WA's top education official requests additional $3 billion for public schools
Washington's public schools chief is calling on lawmakers to fully fund K-12
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Seattle Public Schools cancels closure meetings, is revisiting plan
Facing intense community backlash over proposals to shutter as many as 21 schools, the Seattle school district is canceling community meetings scheduled for this week.
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Seattle Public Schools pauses closure meetings
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This school banned cell phones and lunch got louder
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As Seattle considers school closures, superintendent gets new contract and a raise
The Seattle School Board has called a special meeting on Tuesday to vote on a new two-year contract that raises Superintendent Brent Jones' salary about 4%.
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Seattle Schools' proposed closures trimmed from 21 to just 5 schools after backlash
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones says he has a new plan to address the district's deficit next year — and it includes closing only five schools.
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Timeline set for Seattle school closures. 5 possible schools yet to be named
The Seattle School Board on Wednesday officially solidified the proposal to move ahead with up to five school closures next year, and took the previous option of 21 closures off the table.
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Seattle to close up to 5 schools, here's what happens next
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Seattle students want more mental health funding — and say in how it's spent
As the city crafts its next budget, a group of Seattle students is pushing for more mental health funding — and more say in how it’s spent.
