(The Center Square) – Seattle Public Schools has announced the consolidation of four schools as the district works to chip away at a $94 million budget deficit.
The schools recommended for closure next year are North Beach Elementary, Sacajawea Elementary, Stevens Elementary and Sanislo Elementary. The four schools would be consolidated with other schools as follows: North Beach Elementary with Viewlands Elementary; Sacajawea Elementary with John Rogers Elementary; Stevens Elementary with Montlake Elementary; and Sanislo Elementary with Highland Park Elementary.
“We chose these schools based on factors like building condition, space, and the goal of minimizing disruption to students and families,” the district said in an news release. “A dedicated transition team will be working with the impacted communities to ensure a smooth and supportive process for everyone involved.”
Seattle Public Schools was initially considering closing 17 to 21 schools, which would have saved the district approximately $30 million. That would have left an estimated gap of around $70 million for the district to address after consolidations.
After pushback from families and faculty, the district announced it would explore closing five schools.
Along with the proposed school closures, the district is looking to tap into three “buckets” in order to close the gap.
First is seeking full support from the state Legislature to help cover the budget gap. The state funds would particularly aid in areas like special education, transportation, and operational costs.
The district will also seek out $40 million from the state to fund areas of special education, transportation and materials.
Lastly, in order to find $30 million, the district is identifying operational cuts within its central staff, fewer buses, and adding a third bell time to reduce transportation costs.
Decreasing enrollment has been a major factor in producing the budget gap. Over the past seven years alone, enrollment at SPS has dropped by 4,000 students. Despite this, the district still operates nearly the same number of school buildings.
To attract more families back to SPS, the district is conducting an enrollment study that is expected to be completed by December. The study is intended to help guide the district’s efforts in recruitment and retention.
It’s expected that the SPS Board of Directors will reconvene in January to hold another public hearing and take final action on the school closures.
A multi-year outlook on the district’s fiscal future is set to be presented in June 2025.
