Well-Resourced Schools: Building our Future Together

We are excited to welcome our students back to school starting next week.

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is committed to ensuring all our schools have the resources needed to meet the diverse needs of students.

SPS has seen a steady drop in enrollment over the years, leaving many of our elementary schools with fewer than 300 students. These smaller schools often lack vital resources, such as assistant principals and art, music, and physical education teachers.

The enrollment drop has left our district with significant budget challenges. For the upcoming year, we are looking at a deficit of approximately $100 million.

We have made tough decisions to close budget gaps in recent years. We have reached a point that to balance our budget, we will be faced with making cuts to schools and classrooms. Consolidating schools will not solve all our financial challenges, but it will help secure the long-term financial health of our schools.

During the week of September 9, we will send our families, staff, and community an update on the Well-Resourced Schools planning process. This will include details about upcoming community meetings, an analysis of our current elementary and K-8 schools, and the detailed proposals we are considering as we plan to make a recommendation to the Seattle School Board for our future.

SPS will present a Well-Resourced Schools update to the School Board on September 18. We expect to make a preliminary recommendation in October. Site-based hearings for the affected school buildings will follow this preliminary recommendation. The School Board will then introduce and take formal action after those hearings.

Maintaining the status quo is simply not an option. Without changes, we will need to make significant cuts to essential services in our schools. That could negatively affect students through larger class sizes, limited preschool options, and reductions in programs like athletics and music.

Our goal isn’t to target schools for closure but to create a sustainable system that better serves our students. SPS is fortunate to have amazing educators, and we want our schools to be the right size with the right resources so they can best support our students.

This is a critical – and indeed challenging – conversation. We are grateful for the support and engagement from our families and communities. During this process, we will be there alongside you every step of the way, helping you understand and navigate these changes.

Thank you for your ongoing support. We are looking forward to a great year ahead. Together, we are working towards a brighter future for all Seattle Public Schools students in this year and for generations to come.