School closures, enrollment, and highly capable programs: SPS Superintendent sits down with Soundside
Seattle’s Public School District is grappling with a nearly 100 million dollar budget shortfall, as student enrollment in the district has dropped in recent years.
In a letter last month, Superintendent Brent Jones said that SPS was proposing the closure of North Beach, Sacajawea, Sanislo, and Stevens elementary schools next year, pending school board approval.
The district says the latest plan will save around $5 million dollars - much less, notably, than the close to 30 million the broader closure plan was expected to yield.
So, where will the rest of the money come from to shore up the budget?
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones sat down with Soundside host Libby Denkmann to talk school closures, highly capable programs, and more.
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Guest:
- Dr. Brent Jones, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent
Relevant Links:
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Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington, and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
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Sarah Leibovitz
Supervising Producer, Soundside
Sarah joined KUOW in 2019 as senior producer on The Record. She is now Supervising KUOW’s new noon time show, Soundside. Prior to working at KUOW, Sarah was lead producer at the Seattle podcast production company Larj Media, and a teaching artist with Path with Art.
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Sami West
Education Reporter
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.
More stories from Sami West »
