Seattle Schools Community Forum

Let’s be clear. This is not a “citizen-led plan” (Seattle Times). CAC volunteers are community members, but they are working under the wrong criteria with unworkable constraints imposed by the district. It is obvious that something is wrong with the school closure process when: Schools are pitted against each other, fighting for decent buildings or even for survival. The majority of schools slated for closure or consolidation are in the south end, lower income neighborhoods with mostly non-white children. Schools with scores of parents at closure meetings (like Sacajewea) are cited as having low parent satisfaction. Schools with beautiful, recently renovated buildings (like Graham Hill) are proposed to be left empty. We didn’t get into this mess overnight, and we can’t fix it that way either. We need to take the time necessary to come up with better ideas and solutions. This closure plan does not come “from the people” (Seattle Times). It comes from 13 community volunteers selected by ...

Supposedly about 4.5 million dollars will be saved by closing 12 Seattle schools. However, the district admits this doesn’t take into account initial mothballing costs. It also doesn’t take into account millions of dollars needed to: Renovate two elementary school buildings (High Point and Thurgood Marshall) to accommodate two K-8 programs (Pathfinder and TOPS). Renovate the decrepit Wilson Pacific building to accommodate the Summit K-12 program Renovate many (as yet unnamed) buildings to accommodate the three autism programs in the districts (Viewlands, Thurgood Marshall and Graham Hill), all of which are in buildings targeted for closure. The rationale of saving money also does not address the real costs incurred just from discussing the closure issue over and over. With each family that leaves Seattle Public Schools in frustration and disgust, so does money the state provides to the district on a per pupil basis. And future school levies are doomed if schools like Graham Hill, which...