Seattle Public Schools announces two options for school closures
Sep 11, 2024, 6:23 PM | Updated: 6:25 pm
A photo of the Seattle Public Schools logo on the side of a building. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
Seattle Public Schools (SPS) released two proposals on Wednesday regarding school closures.
On its website, SPS stated it is facing “declining enrollment and budget challenges.” In March, SPS stated it is dealing with a $104 million budget shortfall. Therefore, the district has come up with two options.
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The first option is to operate 52 attendance-area elementary schools, closing 21 elementary and K-8 schools. This option saves SPS $31.5 million.
The second option is to operate 56 schools, including attendance-area elementary and one K-8 school per region, closing 17 schools. This option saves SPS $25.5 million.
“Many of our schools are struggling to provide the resources our students deserve,” the district wrote in its Wednesday release. “To address this, we are working to ensure our schools are the right size and have the resources needed for preschool through 5th-grade students to succeed.”
To learn more about these options and to see which schools would be affected, visit SPS’s website.
Key dates for Seattle Public Schools families
There are also a few important dates to note. On September 24, SPS will hold an online information session on the two options. From September 25 to October 8 there will be in-person meetings in each region for families, staff and the community, along with separate SPS staff meetings.
In mid to late October, the superintendent will announce the preliminary recommendation. In November, public hearings will be held on each proposal.
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Finally, in December the school board will vote before winter break.
SPS said families and staff will get invitations to the community meetings and details will be posted on its website.
Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.
