SPS backtracks on school closures, but budget crisis looms
Seattle Public Schools (SPS) recently backed away from its plan to close multiple schools, but the district’s financial challenges remain a pressing concern. Earlier this year, SPS proposed shutting down several elementary schools due to declining enrollment. According to the National Center For Education Statistics, the cause of decline is due to many students transferring from the public to the private education system.
This decrease has led to a projected budget shortfall of $100 million according to Sami West, education reporter for KUOW. The closure announcement sparked significant controversy, particularly because many of the schools targeted for closure housed vital programs, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) and hard-of-hearing ser- vices.
Others argue that not all proposed schools house these programs. Cedar Park, a school predicted to close, does not provide any services for ESL or hard of hearing students. According to The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Cedar Park had extremely low enrollment rates, with only 272 students in the ’23-’24 school year. Still, these schools can be lifelines for communities.
Recent developments indicate that SPS is now reconsidering their drastic measures. Support
from students, staff, and families has put pressure on the district to keep the schools open. Public forums, petitions, and advocacy efforts have played a key role in the decision to revaluate the closure plan. Despite this apparent victory, the underlying issue of budget cuts persists. SPS is still grappling with a significant deficit, raising questions about how these cuts will impact students and teachers.
Although the district has not yet shared specific details about where cuts will be made, the potential effects are already causing concern. Ms. Barnes, who teaches A.P. U.S. History, and Ethnic Studies (Grade 10), shared her
concerns.“[T]here’s no money for basically anything. In the beginning, they were saying for paper that we would only have 1000 copies per teacher. And so we were trying to figure out, how do we do it?”
Students in affected schools may experience reduced extracurricular activities, fewer support services such as counseling, and decreased academic assistance. Here at Roosevelt, we can assume the impacts will be felt by students and staff. Rayna Bauer, Roosevelt’s fiscal specialist, stated, “Extra help around the school is what we see cut. This year the Roosevelt High School Foundation made a significant contribution in order to help keep
positions like the library helper, tutors, and theater manager around, but we would have seen all of those disappear without their generous contribution.”
While concerns about Roosevelt’s budget are important and require community support, Roosevelt already
receives significantly more funding than some high schools in the district, based on enrollment differences. According to the Seattle Public Schools 2024-25 school year recommended budget, Rainier Beach High School was allotted $10,829,884, and Nathan Hale High School received $11,762,336, while Roosevelt was granted $15,287,827.
SPS Superintendent Brent Jones acknowledged the difficult road ahead, emphasizing that while the district wants to avoid school closures, tough financial decisions are inevitable. After public push-back, the proposed closures were trimmed from 21 to just 5 schools. KUOW quoted Superintendent Jones, “our priority remains providing quality education for all students.”
As SPS continues to navigate this challenging period, the community remains hopeful that solutions can be found without compromising the quality of education. Ongoing conversations between district officials and the public will be crucial as plans for budget reductions take shape.