Parents plea for other solutions as SPS considers closing 20 elementary schools

Many parents and teachers provided plenty of pushback against Seattle Public Schools’ (SPS) idea of closing dozens of elementary schools due to an extreme budget deficit — a decision being mulled over by the SPS board.

More than 100 people showed up to Thursday night’s community meeting, led by Superintendent Brent Jones, to discuss his Well-Resourced Schools plan. The plan is to get the district out from under its budget deficit of more than $100 million and develop a network of well-resourced schools, but in order for this to happen, more than a quarter of the district’s 73 elementary schools might have to close.

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Twenty-nine of the district’s elementary schools serve less than 300 students, according to KIRO 7, with SPS calling these schools “under-enrolled.” Superintendent Brent Jones claimed only about 65% of the smaller elementary schools are being utilized to their full capacity. Campus buildings could go up to 85% by following the Well-Resourced Schools plan.

But parents and teachers present at Thursday night’s community meeting remain unconvinced this is the right decision.

“We spend a lot of time building trust with students and if any of these schools close, it just dismantles and disseminates all of that work towards inclusion,” Graham Hill elementary teacher Dustin Cole told KIRO 7.

“When people get settled into a community, shifting that it does a lot,” Michelle Reese, a parent of a student within the SPS district, added. “People work, they have their set schedules, they have childcare in certain areas.”

Others who attended, including parent Jay Johnson, told KIRO 7 that the closures are necessary — it’s just a matter of how.

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“Maybe a more staggered approach would make more sense. I think the longer you put it off it’s probably going to cost more,” Johnson said. “Closing a school will save a ton of money but it’s still going to take a lot, a quarter ton to keep it open and not falling apart.”

Any potential closures would impact the 2025-26 school year. The superintendent is expected to make recommendations regarding SPS potentially closing up to 20 elementary schools to the board next month.

Contributing: KIRO 7

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.