Four things to know about Seattle’s plan to explore closing schools

Seattle Public Schools is looking to close some elementary schools to solve its budget woes, but a lot is still unknown about which school communities could be affected, and when.

Last Wednesday, the School Board voted to give Superintendent Brent Jones permission to start drawing up a preliminary list of schools that could be shuttered, plus an analysis of the impacts; that vote didn’t commit the district to closing schools quite yet. Jones has proposed reducing the number of elementary schools from 73 to about 50.

Here’s what we know so far.

Why is the district looking to close schools?

Seattle Public Schools has a long-running budget deficit — and a vision for “a system of well-resourced schools.” This idea refers to schools that have stable funding, art, music, P.E., inclusive classrooms and multiple teachers per grade — in other words, what students need to succeed.

It’s difficult to fund all of those things in buildings with low enrollment, district officials say. Twenty-nine of the district’s elementary schools have fewer than 300 students.

The district also has a structural deficit that it’s trying to close: a $105 million gap this year and another $129 million next year, according to the district’s estimates.

How did we get here? The district’s expenses have been higher than the public dollars that fund it. However, federal COVID-19 relief aid and a series of one-time funding boosts allowed the district to plug the gaps. Now, a bulk of the aid has run out.

The district has also lost more than 4,000 students since 2019, and it does not expect enrollment to reach pre-pandemic levels in the next decade. While the district has pointed to declining birth rates and the smaller share of Seattle-born children enrolling in its elementary schools, some parents have said they’ve left SPS for private schools or other options. 

An expensive teachers union contract, which increased staff support for special education services, also added to the deficit.

But district officials say there are other factors at play, too. The state does not cover all of the costs associated with educating children, even after the 2012 McCleary decision increased K-12 funding.  The district has to pick up extra expenses not covered by the state for special education services, transportation, insurance increases and inflation.

SPS has said it will save money by closing buildings. However, in the presentation prepared for the school board’s meeting on Wednesday, Jones said that without closures, the district would need to make more cuts. It may also have to increase student-teacher ratios, eliminate or reduce preschool, postpone adopting new curriculum and further reduce the staff who work at the central administrative office. Even with those changes, the district has said, some school sites may still close. 

Which schools could close?

At this point, no one knows. 

The district is looking at elementary schools with fewer than 300 students. But it will also take into consideration factors such as a building’s age, academic support available in the building, the distance students have to travel to get to another school, equity and the distribution of elementary schools across the city.

The district spends more per pupil, on average, at the smaller elementary school sites than it does at schools with larger numbers of students, district officials say.

Bigger schools typically have more staff — and more full-time teachers and staff in specialized roles. A school with about 468 students would have three to four teachers per grade, a part-time assistant principal, a nurse two days a week, a counselor or social worker and full-time teachers for art, music and P.E., district officials say.  A school with 217 students would only have one or two teachers per grade, no assistant principal, a nurse one day a week, and a part-time counselor or social worker.

One other thing:  A school will not automatically be slated for closure simply because it has fewer than 300 students. It could instead be one of the schools — because it’s in a newer building, has more space for students, or is easy to get to — that will take new students.

How can parents and caregivers share feedback?

The district is expected to release dates and locations for a series of community information sessions in May and June. Officials have said they will share their proposals with the community and collect feedback.

“We can’t do this in isolation, without the insight, wisdom and knowledge of both internal and external folks to the district,” Jones said. “We value it, and I think it’s an essential piece of what we do.”

Some parents raised concerns that the preliminary proposal and some feedback sessions are scheduled toward the end of the school year, when parents might be out of town or occupied with end-of-the-school-year rituals.

Board President Liza Rankin said that parents and families shouldn’t wait for the legally required public comment periods to tell the board and district what they think. They can offer feedback starting now. 

What happens next?

The district’s timeline is not set in stone.

Jones is expected to deliver his preliminary proposal to the School Board next month.

If the board accepts the proposal, the public will then have 30 days to weigh in. There will also be hearings at each of the school sites slated for potential closure. Once there’s a final recommendation from the district, there will be another 14-day public commenting period, followed by a final School Board vote, which is expected around November.

Fred Podesta, the district’s chief operations officer, said the district is hoping to finalize its plans in the fall so that families and staff will have about a year to make the transition.

“We think it’s important to understand what families and students need to make transitions and that we give them as much time as possible,” he said.