From 94,000 Students to Under 50,000: What Happened to Seattle Schools?
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Ben Shuldiner told families this week that 21 schools are part of a merger discussion, grouped into 10 possible combinations. Then he said something most superintendents wouldn't — part of the district's enrollment decline was "self-inflicted."
In 1964, Seattle Public Schools had more than 94,000 students. Today it has fewer than 50,000. Shuldiner described visiting a K-8 with fewer than 50 students and buildings where bookcases serve as walls. He told parents that proposals for one more year or new boundary lines would "either cannibalize other schools or be based on wishful thinking." Charlie Harger on why the candor matters and what comes next.
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