The Seattle Times is Awash With Opinions on School Closures

Let's see what the Editorial Board of the Seattle Times has to say first in their piece:

Dear SPS, to fix Seattle's schools crisis, turn to your community

 In a nutshell, about SPS parents:

Make them feel like part of the solution, rather than a problem to overcome.

One thing that used to set Seattle apart from many major metros was its public schools and who attended them — almost everyone: middle-class, low-income and affluent kids.

These days, however, Seattle parents could be forgiven for wondering if the school district wants them gone.

In response to a $104 million budget hole and waning enrollment, Seattle Public Schools has, confoundingly, made little effort to burnish its standout gems and entice families back.

Ouch. 

Just last fall, Seattle Superintendent Brent Jones told The Times’ editorial board that to hold onto current families and attract new ones, SPS needed to get better at “telling our story.”  

If Jones truly believes this move will improve public education in Seattle, it’s past time to go into communities and show people exactly how.

But school board members act as if they’d rather see every disaffected mom or dad join the 17% who put their kids in private schools. “No one is forcing you to participate,” board President Liza Rankin said at a public meeting last fall.

More puzzling still, the district’s bookkeepers say closing schools won’t save the money needed, not even close. Only mass layoffs can do that. So why is Seattle hellbent on a plan that won’t solve its financial woes and is only prompting more families to look for an exit?

Interesting contrast with what was done over in Bellevue SD over closures. (And their superintendent, Kelly Aramaki? A great guy who used to work in SPS.) 

The outcry was immediate and ferocious. Without information, conspiracy theories flew. The anger was so intense security guards had to escort Bellevue board members out of public meetings.

In the midst of this chaos, the district hired a new superintendent, Kelly Aramaki, who dialed the heat way down. He reduced Bellevue’s planned closures from three elementary schools to two, offered detailed explanations of precisely where money would be saved and decided against closing any middle schools — not before trying to reverse enrollment declines by offering an Arabic-language program at parents’ request. This is crucial. Those families felt heard. And this year, the district has about 600 more students.

 

Next up, an op-ed by former school board candidate, Ben Gitenstein,

Seattle school closures: Plan won’t fix budget; board should reject it 

Gitenstein systematically lays out what the district hasn't done - consult with families, false claims about what their "plan for a system of well-resourced schools," as well as "at no point did the district level with parents about the reality of its plans or ask communities to weigh in on the idea of closures."

He also does a comparison with another school district, this time the large Chicago SD.

In 2013 Chicago closed 50 small public schools in the hopes of reducing budget deficits and shrinking costs. It was a failure. Enrollment continued to fall, and shuttering schools created new costs without lowering others. As a result, Chicago’s schools deficit grew by almost 25%.

Analysis by the University of Chicago, the Chicago Times and WBEZ found that kids from closed schools had worse educational outcomes. As one student wryly noted, “We all have the same amount of students [and teachers] teaching the same stuff.”

Lastly, we have Katharine Strange, an SPS parent who co-leads a group to integrate schools. Her take is not one I like because I never like any parent who pretends to pooh-pooh the concerns/experiences of other parents.

Seattle school closures: Budget shortfall means tough choices 

Since, as my middle schooler would say, “the maths are not mathing,” closing 20 elementary schools is a tough but necessary decision. The alternative is death by a thousand staff cuts — nurses, librarians, counselors and arts teachers’ time shredded to ribbons as they shuttle between two (or more) schools

It seems Ms. Strange is unaware that the real savings WILL be when staff are cut. So closing schools is in NO way changing that dynamic. 

Then there is this fairly incomprehensible paragraph:

Failure to consolidate will mean schools rely even more on inequitable PTA fundraising to fill gaps from staffing to basic supplies. School fundraising in Seattle is already out of control and keeping half-empty buildings open will only add to our dependence on these funds.  

Shades of Chandra Hampson! 

First, the Board has had YEARS to deal with the inequitable PTA fundraising and did nothing. Ditto the SCPTSA. They all liked to point and wag fingers at the schools with the fundraising firepower because I guess it made them feel superior. Didn't solve the problem.

Also, how is school fundraising "out of control?" That's quite a large statement with no backing evidence. 

Then she talks about parents saying they might leave:

But, regardless of intent, an exodus of white and privileged families results in a poorer, more segregated district.

That's true. People with money are better able to leave a situation they see an untenable for their child. But I know from keeping up with national trends that MANY parents of color are homeschooling their children. It is not, by any means, just white parents leaving public schools.

Then she tries to shame parents into NOT putting up a fight against closing their schools:

If history and other municipalities are any kind of guide, once the schools targeted for closure are announced, we’ll be in for a series of increasingly ugly public meetings. And I wonder: Can we just not?

Can we avoid trotting our kids up to the mic and asking the School Board to look into their precious faces and explain to them why their school has to close? Can we avoid describing school closures as “traumatic”? 

Well, as I have mentioned, I WAS around and part of the last Closure and Consolidation and it was ugly. Somehow Ms. Strange seems to forget that these elementary-aged students went through COVID and now their school closes?  

She goes on, eager to make even more points, talking about "grief" and "mourning" but telling parents to not call the closures "traumatic?" Again, I was there and it WAS traumatic.

My own experience as an Army brat who attended four different elementary schools showed me that switching schools can be both nerve-wracking and exciting, and much of that depends on how parents frame the change.

Yes, attitude is everything and parents do need to be careful how they talk to their children about closures. But SPS is not the DoD. 

Of course, it’s not just military families who change schools. We already expect most SPS students to switch between elementary and middle school and all to change between middle and high school. No one considers these moves “traumatic.” 

Pretty disrespectful. Again, she's trying to make a comparison that is not valid. Involuntary change is not the same as change according to a schedule.

Parents, let’s commit to framing any school changes as positive when speaking to or around our kids. While we debate these changes, instead of focusing exclusively on “my child, my child, my child,” let’s recenter this conversation on our children collectively, ensuring that all can thrive.  

Happy talk. Just like the district wants. Did she get talking points from SPS Communications? Of course, we want all kids to be in a thriving, safe and successful district. But, yes, parents are concerned about their own child and rightfully so.

And I hope that Superintendent Brent Jones and the School Board will take this opportunity to create a consolidation plan that, wherever possible, increases our racial and economic integration rather than maintaining current levels of segregation.

Well, I'm not sure how the district can do that because of the long-ago redlining in this city that continues the divisions to this day. Does she want to bring back busing? I'm confused and I find her words unconvincing.