Seattle Public Schools leaders have named four schools they plan to shutter next year as part of an effort to alleviate a nearly $100 million budget shortfall.

In his latest school closure plan, Superintendent Brent Jones announced Thursday he will recommend North Beach, Sacajawea, Sanislo, Stevens, and Dunlap elementary schools for closure. District officials claim the move will save several million dollars.

“By closing these four under-enrolled schools, we will start to build a stronger, more sustainable school system,” Jones said in a letter to families. “This is the best way forward in ensuring our district continues to provide the high-quality education our students deserve.”The closures are not etched in stone. The Seattle School Board is expected to vote on a final plan by the end of January.

Jones acknowledged the changes are difficult. He said the district used factors like building conditions and space to choose which schools to close and prioritized minimizing disruption to students and families. As part of that goal, students at each respective school will stay together and consolidate into other nearby schools. Under the plan:

• North Beach students would move to Viewlands Elementary;
• Sacajawea students would move to Highland Park Elementary;
• Sanislo students would move to Montlake Elementary;
• And Dunlap students would move to Wing Luke Elementary.

He also pledged a “thoughtful and transparent process” going forward. Starting next week, the district will hold engagement sessions at each impacted school through Nov. 21. There will also be a districtwide engagement session at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 14.

The pared-down plan comes after widespread backlash over an earlier plan to close up to 21 schools, in conjunction with sweeping boundary changes and other reconfigurations across the district.

Earlier this month, the Seattle School Board officially took widespread closures off the table. They also laid out a timeline and other next steps for school closures in 2025, calling for a district task force to help ease the transition and a new multi-year plan to restore financial stability.

For over a year, district administrators have maintained closures are essential to the district regaining financial stability, and that downsizing the district’s current footprint of more than 70 elementary and K-8 schools would allow them to more effectively and equitably distribute resources.

Since scaling back the number of school closures, Jones has said the district will need other belt-tightening measures to address the budget deficit, including about $30 million of internal cuts. Jones said that will include staff reductions and adding a third bell time to reduce transportation costs.

Jones has also said he’ll seek an additional $40 million from the state to fund things like special education, transportation, and operational costs. He also said he’ll ask for “greater flexibility” to repay a loan the district took against itself last year.The district borrowed $30 million from its capital fund, normally used for building construction and maintenance, to fill last year’s $105 million shortfall. The district was supposed to start repaying it, with interest, as part of next year’s budget.

On Thursday, Jones said the district will also ask to “fully utilize our levy authority.”

This is a developing story that will be updated.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2024/10/24/4-seattle-schools-up-for-closure-revealed/