New Seattle schools fiscal plan: No closures next year, but 'nothing is off the table'

The Seattle School Board on Wednesday gave its stamp of approval to a financial stabilization plan that includes no school closures for next school year.

The plan was unveiled last month and pushes the timeline for possible school closures to the fall of 2025 — a year later than district administrators had originally suggested. Some families breathed a sigh of relief, but others expressed concern about how district officials will engage the community as they look to close next year's $105 million budget gap.

The plan says the district may “consider and research” belt-tightening measures like staffing cuts, larger class sizes at middle and high schools, transportation changes, short-term borrowing, and liquidating assets.

Superintendent Brent Jones said nothing is off the table as he and other administrators evaluate how they can best balance the budget, but that the plan serves as “marching orders” for their work.

“This will give us clarity and guidance as we put pencil to paper,” he said.

The board’s Wednesday vote is the latest step the district is taking to grapple with ongoing financial difficulties, stoked by declining enrollment. District officials say they’ve lost nearly 5,000 students over the last five years, resulting in about $81 million of lost revenue from the state.

Last year, the district overcame a $131 million budget shortfall, and it faces similar gaps for the next three years, which is why officials have started budget planning earlier than usual.

The board won’t vote on the district’s 2024-25 budget until next summer, and Jones said the board will have monthly opportunities to give more guidance. He also said the district plans to touch base with those directly affected by budget cuts in the coming months.

The newly-adopted plan also says district officials will begin engaging the community next spring about possible school consolidations.

But All Together for Seattle Schools, a newly-formed citywide parent advocacy group, urged the board to take community engagement a step further.

Ahead of the board’s vote, member Alex Wakeman Rouse urged the board to amend the plan so that it specifically directs administrators to engage the community in budget decisions. Wakeman Rouse suggested the district “co-create” significant budget proposals with specific communities that would be affected.

“The resolution directs the district to explore steep cuts — many of which will have significant student-facing impacts — but there’s nothing that directs the district to regularly and authentically engage students, families, and school communities,” Wakeman Rouse said, speaking on behalf of All Together for Seattle Schools.

Wakeman Rouse also pushed the district to work with the group to advocate for the state to amply fund public schools, especially given the state’s significant budget surplus.

The next update on Seattle Public Schools’ budget is expected in January.