SPS puts final nail in coffin on 2025-26 school closures proposal

SEATTLE - With a proposal for Seattle school closures now off the table for the 2025-2026 school year, many parents and students gave thanks Tuesday night following a board meeting that made the decision official.  

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones announced Monday that he and the school board will no longer pursue school closures and consolidations to solve the district's multi-million dollar shortfall.

The motion was approved unanimously. It officially withdraws earlier directions to the superintendent to recommend the school closures.

"Thanks everybody for getting this together quickly," said SPS Board President Liza Rankin following the virtual vote.

As the board officially took the closure of schools off the table for now, Chris Jackins, coordinator of the Seattle Committee to Save Schools, breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was very happy. I wish the school district would have done it much sooner. This has been a bad idea from the very beginning," said Jackins.

He says he's long-thought an initial proposal that included the potential closure of Sacajawea, Sanislo, Stevens and North Beach Elementary schools wasn't a sound one.

"There has been a lot of input from the parent community and the surrounding community of the schools that they haven’t been paid attention to. They have been bringing up concerns and the numbers didn’t add up in terms of how much savings there was supposed to be," said Jackins.

One of the first signs that there was a change of heart came last Tuesday when Superintendent Jones told families during a meeting that he was reconsidering the closure plan after getting overwhelmingly negative feedback. He chose to withdraw his preliminary recommendation less than a week later, writing, "savings should not come at the cost of dividing our community."

SPS has said the closures would have saved the district an estimated $5.5 million.

As for how the district will make up for around $100 million in projected budget shortfalls, "They have not said specifically what they are going to do," said Jackins. 

However, Jackins has some ideas about what's next.

"They will ask for more money from the legislature. They have two levies coming up, one an operating levy and one a capital levy in February and the operating levy affects the budget they are worried about. They can take out a further loan. They can ask for permission," said Jackins. 

The motion was the only thing on the agenda Tuesday night, and there was some discussion about the language used. 

One board member who didn't like the complexity of the language, spoke out about it at Tuesday's meeting, saying it left people with the impression that the school closures would not be considered again.  However, the decision is only a potential reprieve for the 2025-2026 school year.  At some point, Seattle schools could be on the chopping block again.

All Together for Seattle Schools released the following statement in response to the canceled school closures proposal:

"After a year of unified advocacy by parents, caregivers and school communities across the city through All Together for Seattle Schools, we welcome the decision to end the district’s plan to close up to 21 schools for next year. This flawed plan caused unnecessary stress and disruption for students, families and communities. Now, we can focus on creating a positive vision for a stronger Seattle Public Schools (SPS) that centers student and family needs. 

"We remain committed to partnering with the district to rebuild trust and ensure a sustainable future for SPS. This includes advocating for the state legislature to amply fund public schools across Washington.

"While this decision is a step in the right direction, we will continue to oppose school closures and student-facing cuts. SPS must abandon plans to "right-size" the district by closing schools in the future. Instead, we call for an audit of the entire budget, prioritizing non-student-facing cuts, including central office leadership and external consulting contracts. We will oppose any effort to pit parents and caregivers against educators and staff. We stand in solidarity opposing cuts that harm students, including cuts to educator positions.

"SPS’s and the board’s actions over the past year have eroded public trust and caused significant parental and student stress–this was avoidable and unacceptable. The district must commit to meaningful engagements with families and communities, ensuring transparency and accountability in all decisions. Building trust is essential to restoring public confidence.

"This is a pivotal moment for SPS to learn and grow. We urge district leaders to transform how SPS operates, partners with school communities, and shares information transparently. The school board must also improve fiscal and operations oversight, represent constituents effectively, and hold the district accountable. 

"Looking ahead, SPS must focus on solutions that grow enrollment, advance academic excellence, and improve student outcomes.The district must demonstrate that it can steward public funds responsibly, prioritizing investments in student learning, and addressing opportunity gaps beyond standardized test scores. 

"Over the past year, we’ve seen an outpouring of activism from families across Seattle, united by a vision of great public schools that meet the needs of every child. We strongly encourage SPS to move away from a binary and scarcity mindset and embrace opportunity through collaboration. The district must prioritize excellence in implementing programs, engaging communities, and governing with transparency and accountability. Together, we can build broad public support for a high-quality, responsive, and equitable education system that serves every student in Seattle. 

"We urge SPS to align its values and actions with Seattle’s vision of a world-class city:

• Demonstrate strong leadership and accountability by developing multi-year, transparent plans that align with the city’s growth and community needs.
• Actively focus on strategies to grow enrollment and increase revenue while enhancing educational offerings.
• Expand and sustain innovative, evidence-based programs that families value and students need, such as dual language immersion, Highly Capable Cohort, option schools, and K-8 models.
• Provide an array of schools that reflect the diversity of our students, prioritizing student learning, and equitable access to opportunities.
• Commit to schools that are walkable, located near new housing expansion, and integrated with comprehensive and transportation planning. Reimagine investments within the BEX Levy to reflect community engagement and student outcomes.

"We recognize that solving these challenges requires more than just local efforts – statewide action is essential. The state legislature must fully and amply fund our public schools. To drive this effort, we are partnering with parents and caregivers across Washington to launch the Billion Dollar Bake Sale campaign urging lawmakers to prioritize public school funding. Communities across the state will host real or symbolic bake sales to raise awareness of this urgent issue, culminating in a statewide Advocacy Day in Olympia on Jan. 30, 2025.

"With the SPS closure plan behind us, we invite district leaders to join with us in this endeavor. Funding public education is the state’s constitutional "paramount duty" and the legislature must close the entire district budget deficit without requiring cuts in the classroom, and provide the ample resources that our kids need and deserve. 

"The collective advocacy of families and communities across Seattle has successfully pushed SPS to reconsider its plans. By partnering with communities across Washington, we will continue to demand that the legislature fulfills its commitment to education, ensuring that budgets are no longer balanced at the expense of our children and schools."

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