Director Rankin Talks to Parents about a School Merger

Update:

I see at the SPS website that Rainier View Elementary had their "first-ever Tigers Exploring Tomorrow Week" where students got to hear from adults who work for King County Metro, SPD (and their K-9 unit),  firefighters, and former Rainier View ES student who works as a zookeeper. 

A bit of irony that this great event may be the last for Rainier View ES as they are slated to merge with Rising Star. 

end of update

I see that Director Liza Rankin met with Sacajawea parents recently. Their PTA had a summary on their webpage. It makes for fascinating reading but remember, these are just her thoughts.  

(As well, their page on What Makes a "Good" Sac Closure is excellent and recommended reading for any affected schools.)

Core themes:

Long-term facilities & zoning plans


Special programs


Family choice


Building use


Misc extras

Per those themes, Rankin said:

- on "zoning" (by which they mean boundaries,) she said she did not want families displaced from their school via merger to then get displaced again by changing boundaries. She said "it was a hill I am willing to die on."

- on enrollment drops

Rankin also pushed back against community frustration that SPS is increasingly losing kids to private schools. She said that the share of Seattle families choosing private school—currently 25%—has been steady for the past 40 years.

[Author’s note: The Seattle Times reported in 2024 that Seattle’s private school share had just reached 25% but had hovered between 20-22% from 2010-2018. The difference between 22% and 25% is more than 2,000 students. The total number of students who will be displaced by the 2026 merger proposals is less than 1,600, for context.]

- There were concerns raised about afterschool care and that IS a good topic for mergers. 

Wherever closed school students go, if they had afterschool care at their old school, something should be available at the new school. That's on Shuldiner and staff to figure out.

- It was also stated that combining Sacajawea and John Rogers' Special Education students would bring their total to 123 students. That is apparently way larger than any other school in the region. There's a challenge in there as well.

- Another good idea is to have tours and open houses BEFORE choice process closes so that displaced students and parents have an idea what their options are.

Interestingly, Rankin says that what happens to buildings in the future is a Board choice. That might be true on paper but rarely does the Board say no to anything Facilities wants to do.

One audience member asked about the money in BEX VI levy for "an unnamed NE elementary school." She seemed to not have an answer and yet she also said the Board decides. 

She also apparently did not mention that if the district chooses to lease, the right of first refusal goes to charter school organizations.

- About the timeline:

Rankin was clear that she doesn’t want the public to be under the impression that plans are so flexible that a particularly emotional public testimony in December, for example, might stop the closures. At the same time, she said that plans are not yet fixed and that she sees evidence that Shuldiner is listening.

Families expressed worry that they won’t have sufficient info about after care, transportation, special ed access, etc. by the time that their choice preferences are due. Impacted families will have a week after the board vote to submit their choice preferences.

- How much money will be saved by closing Sacajawea?

Rankin said, “It’s not really about savings, because we plan to spend all the money we have on kids….The objective is better service for students because we have wildly inequitable access to services across our schools.” She contrasted schools without art, music, and other basic educational foundations with McGilvra Elementary, which she said can inequitably backfill such losses through their PTA.

When asked if she thinks that Sacajawea is not providing the education to kids that they deserve, Rankin demurred, saying that she was speaking at a systems level.

I have to say that I'm unimpressed when I hear any Board member whining about better-off PTAs. If it truly bothers you, then do something. The fact that no Board member has ever really puts forth - in writing - a plan to change that situation means it's just a useful talking point. 

Great job by the Sacajawea PTA in their reporting back to families.