Coming Up-to-Date On Seattle Schools "Mergers"

First, I note there is zero, zip, zilch at the SPS website on this topic. Ditto on Facebook. The district is clearly trying to keep the information on possible mergers to a "need to know" basis. Meaning, they'll decide what you need to know and when.

Let's start with the reporting from the Seattle Times. Their list did not differ from my original list. 

Their article includes the October 25th Superintendent's Newsletter where he tries to explain his thinking.

He does indeed lay some blame at the feet of the district. 

And the time for change is now. For years, the specter of school mergers has hung over the district like a pall, shadowing every decision. Over the years, the district has opened and closed schools, with seemingly questionable plans and lack of forethought. The district has been known to close a building only to open it again, even though very little changed. I know the fear of closing a school, your school, creates unease and uncertainty. And of course, this further exacerbates the move toward private, charter, or other districts’ schools.

He tries to say how the newer buildings are so much better than the under-maintained buildings on the list with more room and better lighting.

I saw a K-5 school with less than 120 kids trying to contort and contrive as best it could to serve our students. But no matter how great the staff is, this is an extra burden to bear.

Whose burden is that? I would assume he means the district.

In times like these I often think of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote, “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. This is the time for vigorous and positive action.”

So, the conversation around school mergers begins.

Is it a conversation? I have said SPS would do this and they will.

From the Times:

Some of the named schools have been eyed by the district in the past for potential closure. Seattle Public Schools had proposed in October 2024 closing four elementary schools — Sanislo, North Beach, Stevens and Sacajawea — the following year as a means of addressing its nearly $100 million budget deficit.

The rumor I had previously learned a couple of years back was that North Beach would be closed and their population sent to Viewlands ES which is in a new building. The vibe I got at the time is that many parents in that area who had students at NBES said they would revolt and leave the district entirely.  

I had been quite surprised that North Beach ES was not on the list and parents might ask why not this time. NBES has a fairly terrible building but reasonable enrollment and good academic stats. 

In the Times, Communications Chief Bev Redmond said this about the "five priorities guiding our work:"

- improving learning spaces (Me - Better building)

- reducing the number of split-grade classes (Me - Better building)

- increasing access to specialist teachers (Me, more students in a building would make those specialists more cost-effective)

- reducing singleton grade classrooms in a school (Me - I think they mean having at least 2 classes in a building for each grade level)

- increasing access to special education programs (Me - sufficiently vague so I don't know)

Interesting to see that "building condition of the closing school" or "academics at the closing school" is NOT on that list.

I appreciate that the entire community wants to know what is going on and wants their voice heard. I understand, and that will occur, but first, the principals needed to be at the table, then the staff, then the families, then the community writ large. I think it is ethical and moral to discuss first with those who might be impacted before we bring anything to the Board and broader community.

Ah except that I have often said that changes in one region send ripples out to the entire SPS community.

Starting this week, I, along with the Executive Directors of Schools, will be visiting with the staff of all possibly impacted schools. Each meeting will involve a deep conversation about what a merger could look like. We will talk about specific needs and special programs we would like to transfer. 

 

For instance, in one proposed merger the sending school has a fantastic program they did on Wednesdays. When the proposed receiving school heard about this, the two principals talked about how they could not only transfer it but strengthen it.

This is great listening to the principals on the ground.

But here's the thing - the district is putting these "community" meetings in the thick of the holidays. It's a fairly busy time for families but now they need to carve time to make sure they can get to the one at their school (if on the list).

This is a long timeline, with plenty of opportunity to listen, understand, and iterate. But it also bleeds into our open choice window. What I can promise is that we will extend our transfer period until one week after a possible Board decision.

Buddy, that's not a long timeline for closing schools. And here's what a couple of Cedar Park parents had to say in the Times:

Kevin Hale, whose son is in kindergarten at Cedar Park Elementary School in Lake City, said he and other parents are furious with the district over its proposed timeline to wrap up merger discussions. Cedar Park would potentially close and merge with James Baldwin Elementary School, which is about 3 miles away.

Hale said hosting just one “family meeting” on Dec. 14 right before the holidays is insufficient. He added that some families in Lake City do not have a car and would not even be able to attend the meeting at James Baldwin.

Norma Alvarez, who is a parent to a 1st grader and pre-K student at Cedar Park, said it’s “beyond frustrating” to see her school targeted again for closure despite its perks.

The option school underwent renovations in 2015 and offers unique programing for students to explore interests outside regular classroom learning. Academic performance at the school is above the district’s average, she said.

From the Superintendent's newsletter: 

Another promise is that if your school has not received an invite, we are not considering a closure now and will not in the near future.

Well, I do like this statement because no other school will be added. 

What I cannot promise is that these are all the mergers or program shifts we will ever do. Things change and we have to react.

In the Times article, the comments seem to skew towards favoring closures. That is a marked shift from previous attempts in the past. 

Last thing. What I would want as a parent would be for the district to show their work. 

Let's see the column with how much money will be saved and the column with the costs of closure AND maintaining a closed building AND having to have more bus service because some kids will no longer be able to walk or bike to school.