Oct. 24, 2024 Budget Updates and Next Steps

Dear SPS Families, Staff, and Community,

Thank you for your unwavering dedication to our students and schools. We are incredibly grateful for your ongoing support and commitment to helping us navigate these challenging times.

Balancing our budget is no easy task, especially as we face a significant shortfall. However, our guiding mission remains clear: ensuring that every student receives an excellent education in an environment that fosters learning and growth.

Our Budget Challenge
Like many districts across the state and nation, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is grappling with a persistent budget shortfall. Declining enrollment—driven by rising housing costs, the ongoing impact of COVID, and a shift towards home-based instruction and private schools—has compounded the issue. Additionally, state funding for public schools continues to fall short.

We find ourselves at a critical financial juncture. Yet despite these challenges, SPS remains a place where excellence thrives. We proudly serve nearly 50,000 students, offering enriching academic experiences, extracurricular activities, and vital special education services. Our goal is to preserve these opportunities and ensure every student, in every school, has access to high-quality education and the support they need to grow.

Our Path Forward
We know many of you have experienced frustration as we’ve worked through these difficult decisions, and we are grateful for your passion and feedback. We face a $94 million shortfall for the 2025-26 school year. To address this, we are pursuing several strategies:

1. School Consolidations: After careful consideration and listening to your concerns, we are moving forward with a smaller plan to merge four schools in the 2025-26 school year.

This consolidation is part of a larger strategy to stabilize our finances. By closing these four under-enrolled schools, we will start to build a stronger, more sustainable school system. This is the best way forward in ensuring our district continues to provide the high-quality education our students deserve.

My preliminary recommendation to the School Board will be the following:

• Northwest Region: Closing – North Beach Elementary Consolidating with Viewlands Elementary at Viewlands
• Northeast Region: Closing – Sacajawea Elementary Consolidating with John Rogers Elementary at John Rogers
• Central Region: Closing – Stevens Elementary Consolidating with Montlake Elementary at Montlake
• Southwest Region: Closing – Sanislo Elementary Consolidating with Highland Park Elementary at Highland Park

We understand this change is difficult. We chose these schools based on factors like building condition, space, and the goal of minimizing disruption to students and families. A dedicated transition team will be working with the impacted communities to ensure a smooth and supportive process for everyone involved.

We recognize the deep connection that our community has with its schools, and we are committed to a thoughtful and transparent process. Starting next week, we will hold engagement sessions at impacted schools, offering in-person support weekly through November 23. Additionally, a districtwide information session will take place on Thursday, Nov. 14, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

2. Advocating for Legislative Support: We are actively seeking full support from the state legislature to help cover our budget shortfall, particularly in areas like special education, transportation, and operational costs. In addition, we are advocating for an extension of our interfund loan and seeking to fully utilize our levy authority.

3. Central Office Reductions: To keep cuts away from classrooms, we are identifying operational reductions within our central office, including staff reorganizations and adjustments.

4. Changing School Bell Times: We will consider adjustments to our school bell times, which will allow us to reduce transportation costs by running more bus routes with fewer buses.

5. Renewing Levies: In February 2025, we will ask voters to renew two critical levies—the Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) Levy and the Building Excellence (BEX VI) Levy—which provide vital funding for school operations and maintenance.

Efforts to Increase Enrollment
To attract more families back to SPS, we are conducting an enrollment study. This study, expected to be completed by December, will guide our efforts in recruitment and retention, helping us build a stronger, more vibrant school community.

Building a Sustainable Future
Seattle Public Schools has been in existence for more than 150 years. While this may be a difficult moment in time, we must continue to seek viable solutions. This will require our community’s ongoing partnership and support.

This approach will begin to help us stabilize the budget for next year. I am committed to continuing this conversation with families, staff, and the School Board as we work toward sustainable fiscal solutions. Together, we will create a future where every student in Seattle Public Schools can thrive.

Thank you for your dedication to our schools.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brent Jones
Superintendent
Seattle Public Schools