New Parent Group for Seattle Option Schools

A group of Option School parents have formed a new group, the Seattle Student Options Coalition. The group also encourages teachers and interested community members. Basically, they want to keep Option Schools and alternative programs open and alive.

For over fifty years, Seattle Public Schools has nurtured innovative educational programs designed to provide schools and programs that responded to the diverse needs and interests of Seattle’s families. These schools have been known as alternative, option, magnet, STEM, HCC, dual language immersion, K-8, and Creative Approach schools, and they have served many different roles within changing enrollment and choice assignment plans. These intentional school communities, built in close partnership between educators and families, have provided vital examples for innovative instructional practices that continue to make a difference in classrooms across Seattle.

We call on Seattle Public Schools to renew its commitment to these option schools, and to embrace their importance to our system as a whole. This will require fostering a learner-centered ecosystem of schools that integrates community resources and focuses on holistic outcomes for diverse student needs to adapt and thrive. These schools can be laboratories for the kind of collaboration, flexibility, personalized and real-world learning that is critical for transforming school systems to meet the future needs of students, families and communities.

As you may recall, in the first discussions about closing schools, Option Schools were the main targets. It was just weird because if you look at the numbers, they are popular schools that perform well.

One other thing that they have in common - long waitlists that never seem to move. This is also true of some K-8s. Because it begs the question - why would you NOT move a waitlist in a less-than-full school that is popular?

SSOC has filed a complaint with the SPS Ombudsperson about this issue. You can read the complaint and the district replies. One thing the district says jumps right out at me because I didn't ever heard about this previously:

While we understand that families want to secure placements at their desired schools, it is important to note that enrollment decisions are guided by both capacity and district-wide needs, including the priority of serving students within their assigned attendance areas.

We strive to balance the needs of students and families while avoiding negative impacts on school staffing levels or on the enrollment stability of surrounding schools.

But then they say:

We also acknowledge the need to address the under-enrollment of some option schools and its impact on staffing. Our goal is to ensure that all schools are appropriately staffed and resourced to meet the needs of students, particularly those furthest from educational justice. While we do need to balance enrollments district-wide, we remain committed to filling seats in option schools where space allows, and demand exists but assignment to an option school or a neighborhood school from a waitlist are (sic) never a guarantee. 

So the priority is to keep neighborhood schools full?

And, if you are on a waitlist for your neighborhood school, you may or may not get in? I thought the one guarantee WAS that you could always get into your neighborhood school. The Enrollment FAQs say nothing on this but I found this in the enrollment plan on page 13:

A student's designated school is their attendance area school, or linked school, to which a student is guaranteed assignment, based on their assignment address and their service eligibilities.

I also see that now it seems to be pro forma for district staff to tell people they can find some data on the website but that they will have to go through Public Record Requests for any other data.  

SSOC is seeking parent stories about their experiences on waitlists and you'll find that under "Get Involved" at their website.

I'm glad to see this group but I feel sad that Board members are unlikely to take this up because it doesn't fit in their SOFG duties. 

  

Two things I don't see in the Enrollment Plan are:

- info on a sibling tiebreaker (which leads me to believe it is gone except for Special Education students)

- the Enrollment Committee. I had a parent ask me about this because they actually wanted to leave an Option School and go to their neighborhood school. They were told "maybe" but that the principal of their neighborhood school AND the "Enrollment Committee" had to okay it. I find that confusing. 

 

Here's the press release from SSOC:

Parents File Complaint Against Seattle Public Schools for Mismanaging Waitlists, Blocking Access to Option Schools

Waitlist mismanagement turned away over 800 potential students from K-5 and K-8 option schools, worsening budget shortfall

Seattle Student Options Coalition seeks remedy for open enrollment period beginning February 1

SEATTLE — January 21, 2025 — The Seattle Student Options Coalition, a group of local families, has filed a formal complaint against Seattle Public Schools (SPS) after the District refused to enroll more than 800 students from waitlists, despite having sufficient capacity in both staffing and school facilities. This failure to enroll students led to cutbacks in teaching positions, reduced resources for students, and contributed to some families leaving SPS entirely—exacerbating the District’s financial challenges.

In their complaint, filed on December 5, 2024, parents are calling for an investigation into the District’s mishandling of the student assignment process. Evidence suggests SPS is actively limiting access to option schools—many of which the District proposed closing in 2024 as part of its failed efforts to address budget shortfalls. This mismanagement not only undermines the schools’ viability but also contradicts the District’s stated goals of stabilizing enrollment and finances, particularly at a time when SPS is concerned about declining student numbers.

“The District’s failure to properly manage school waitlists has not only turned away over 800 students from schools of their choice, but it has also undermined the vital programs that option schools provide to the broader community. By limiting enrollment and therefore budgets, this mismanagement directly contradicts the District’s stated goal of stabilizing enrollment and finances. On behalf of the families affected, we are demanding that SPS be held accountable for its actions,” said Gregory Goldstein, a parent from Louisa Boren STEM K-8 and member of the Seattle Student Options Coalition.

SPS’s mismanagement of waitlists between April and August 2024 resulted in over 800 potential students being turned away from their preferred K-5 and K-8 schools, despite these schools having the capacity—both in staffing and facilities—to accommodate them. Parents argue this failure reflects a lack of commitment by SPS to both grow enrollment and fairly support all schools in the District. As the District grapples with a $94 million budget deficit, it desperately needs to increase enrollment to secure more funding. Yet, by mishandling waitlists, SPS is driving families to leave the District altogether, ultimately missing a critical opportunity to strengthen its finances.

“Seattle’s school funding is allocated on a per-student basis, and with the second-highest rate of private school enrollment in the country, it is inexcusable for SPS to restrict families' access to option schools. By turning away students from these schools, the District not only limits families’ choices but also jeopardizes its own financial stability,” said Martha Berman, a Salmon Bay K-8 parent and an organizer of the coalition.

As detailed in the complaint, parents are calling for immediate action to address the harmful effects of SPS’s mismanagement on students and families. SPS failed to notify families on waitlists that students would not be moved, and it has not updated the student assignment plan since the 2022-23 school year. Parents are urging the District to implement clear, objective standards for processing waitlists—standards that maximize enrollment, respect family choices, and promote fairness, without pitting schools and students against one another.

SPS has yet to respond to the substance of the complaint, which can be viewed at www.seattlestudentoptions.org. This complaint follows numerous emails, phone calls, and a letter signed by hundreds of parents, all directed to the District’s enrollment staff, the superintendent, and the school board between April and August 2024. 

About Seattle Student Options Coalition

The Seattle Student Options Coalition seeks to secure and expand school options for all students in Seattle Public Schools. The group is composed of local families with students enrolled in SPS and aspires to build a parent and educator community that advocates for the maintenance and expansion of option schools and programs in SPS.

Media contact: 

info@seattlestudentoptions.org