4 Seattle schools up for closure revealed

Seattle Public Schools leaders have named four schools they plan to close next year as part of an effort to alleviate a $100 million budget shortfall.

In his latest school closure plan, Superintendent Brent Jones announced Thursday he’s recommending North Beach, Sacajawea, Sanislo, and Stevens elementary schools be shut down. District officials say the move will save about $5 million.

“By closing these four under-enrolled schools, we will start to build a stronger, more sustainable school system,” Jones said in a letter to families. “This is the best way forward in ensuring our district continues to provide the high-quality education our students deserve.”

These closures would impact roughly 920 students in a district of about 50,000. That’s less than 2% of all Seattle Public Schools students.

The schools come from four corners of the city — northwest Seattle, northeast Seattle, West Seattle, and Capitol Hill. The proposal is not etched in stone. The Seattle School Board is expected to vote on a final plan by the end of January.

Jones said the district used factors like building conditions and space to choose which schools to close, and prioritized minimizing disruption to students and families.

As part of that goal, students at each respective school will stay together and consolidate into other nearby schools. Under the plan:

• North Beach students would move to Viewlands Elementary;
• Sacajawea students would move to John Rogers Elementary;
• Sanislo students would move to Highland Park Elementary;
• And Stevens students would move to Montlake Elementary.

Each impacted school will get its own transition team “to ensure a smooth and supportive process for everyone involved,” Jones said.

He also pledged a “thoughtful and transparent process” going forward. Starting next week, the district will hold engagement sessions at each impacted school through Nov. 21. There will also be a districtwide engagement session at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 14. Jones acknowledged the changes are difficult.

“I know how much these schools mean to their communities, and we don’t take this lightly,” he said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. “At the heart of everything we do are our students. I want to be clear, our priority is to always support them with love, dignity, and care. In times of change, this commitment is even more important.”

The pared-down plan comes after widespread backlash over an earlier plan to close up to 21 schools, in conjunction with sweeping boundary changes and other reconfigurations across the district.

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Jones later backtracked on such widespread closures, saying he’d consider up to five school closures, and earlier this month, the school board laid out a new timeline and other next steps for school closures in 2025, calling for a district task force to help ease the transition and a new multi-year plan to restore financial stability.

Thursday’s announcement kicks off a 30-day public review period. During this time, Marni Campbell, the district’s well-resourced schools officer, said the district is focused on providing information and support, before bringing a final recommendation to the board.

“We want to proceed with a sense of wholeness, a sense of the human element of change, and a sense of justice as we work together to continue to build a system that serves all our students and families and is strong and stable for the future,” Campbell said.

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For over a year, district administrators have maintained that closures are essential to the district regaining financial stability, and that downsizing the district’s current footprint of more than 70 elementary and K-8 schools would allow them to more effectively and equitably distribute resources.

Jones reiterated that belief Thursday. But he also acknowledged many parents’ and community members’ concerns that closures won’t eliminate the district’s ongoing structural budget deficit. While $5 million of savings from consolidation may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to the district’s $1.2 billion budget, Jones called it a “down payment,” noting that savings will compound over time.

“Every year we find ourselves with a deficit, it becomes more and more painful to cut $5 million,” Jones said. “We must continue to make tough decisions necessary to balance our budget and ensure the long-term sustainability of our district.”

Jones also didn’t take more school closures in the future off the table.

“We’ll start with a smaller number, be very successful in this transition, in these changes, and then see where we are,” he said.

In a statement Thursday, All Together for Seattle Schools, a grassroots community activist group, said they’re disappointed the district is continuing to move forward with closures.

“They are proceeding despite evidence their justification for closures is flawed, evidence that closures harm students, and overwhelming public opposition,” the group wrote. “We strongly oppose this proposal and will rally the community to oppose it and any other closure plans.”

All Together for Seattle Schools also argued that schools that remain open would not be “well-resourced,” as district officials have claimed, due to budget cuts.

Since scaling back the number of school closures, Jones has said the district would need other belt-tightening measures, including about $30 million of “internal efficiencies.”

Jones said that would include staff reductions and potentially adding a third bell time to reduce transportation costs. And on Thursday, he promised to target the central office for cuts, rather than schools.

“We must continue to do everything in our power to protect the classroom,” he said.

Jones has also said he’ll seek an additional $40 million from the state to fund things like special education, transportation, and operational costs. He said Thursday that he’s already engaged in “productive conversations” with legislators.

“We are hopeful and expecting that a significant portion of next year’s gap can be filled with state action,” Jones said.

Jones also said he’s going to ask the state to allow the district an increase in levy authority, as well as an extension on repaying the loan the district took against itself last year.

RELATED: With school closures looming, Seattle Public Schools passes belt-tightening budget

The district borrowed $30 million from its capital fund, normally used for building construction and maintenance, to fill last year’s nearly $105 million shortfall. The district was supposed to start repaying it, with interest, as part of next year’s budget.