(The Center Square) – Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones has announced that the district will consider closing five schools rather than 21 in order to reduce a $94 million budget deficit.
The closures would come before the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
Closing one school could result in savings between $750,000 to $2.5 million for the district. This means closing five schools could save between $3.75 million and $12.5 million in order to help the district face the $94 million budget gap.
The initial school closure proposals would have saved the district approximately $30 million by closing 21 schools. That would have left an estimated gap of $64 million for the district to address after consolidations.
Instead, this new proposal would leave Seattle Public Schools officials with a lingering budget gap of $81.5 million to $90.25 million.
“We are working hard to close an approximate $100 million budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year,” Jones said in an update. “Each consolidation will moderately lower this deficit, contributing to our long-term financial stability.”
The revised plan does not consider closures of K-8 and option schools, as opposed to the initial proposals. These option schools include specialized service models like deaf and dual language immersion.
The near $100 million budget deficit is a result of weaker revenue streams and a continually decreasing enrollment. Over the past seven years alone, enrollment at Seattle Public Schools has dropped by 4,000 students. Despite this, the district still operates nearly the same number of school buildings.
District officials are now in the process of determining which five schools will be recommended for consolidation for the 2025-2026 school year.
Jones and the school board will determine which schools to consolidate based on building conditions, learning environment, enrollment and capacity, access to specialized service models, and a facility’s ability to keep as many students and families together as possible.
The Center Square previously reported on Seattle Public Schools eyeing cuts to programs and staff to continue fixing the budget deficit even if the district went through with closing 21 schools.
Total staff-related costs make up 83.3% of district spending, so any cuts to save $64 million could come from transportation changes, staffing reductions, increased class sizes, program closures, mandatory fees and salary reductions.
However, future cuts may be necessary to address a budget gap of upwards of $90.25 million in the 2026-2027 school year.
Preliminary recommendations for five school closures are expected to be revealed by the end of October.
