Resource Guide: School Closure Proposals

We believe all Seattle Public Schools families should be informed about the latest on school closures, and able to share their voices to make an impact. Here are some informational resources, upcoming events, and contact information we hope you’ll find helpful.

INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES
– Seattle Schools Information website: www.seattleschools.org/resources/well-resourced-schools/
– Seattle Family Information website: www.alltogetherforseattleschools.org/
– Fund SPS website (created by a group of concerned SPS parents committed to advocacy): https://fundsps.com/take-action

UPCOMING EVENTS
– Monday, September 16th, 6pm, John Hay Elementary School Cafeteria, 201 Garfield St, Seattle, WA 98109: Director of District 4, Dr Joe Mizrahi, will be attending this School Closure Meeting.
– Wednesday, September 18th, 4:15pm, John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence, 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134: Family gathering before the School District Board Meeting.

WHO YOU CAN REACH OUT TO
Marni Campbell, Well-Resourced Schools Officer: macampbell@seattleschools.org
School Board: schoolboard@seattleschools.org
Superintendent Brent Jones: superintendent@seattleschools.org

Please remember everyone in our community (students, staff, families, other SPS school communities) will be impacted. Be the community of kindness that we are.

Call to Action… Sign on Letter Urges SPS to Stop Plan to Close Option Schools

During recent Seattle Public School’s (SPS) closure and consolidation plan meetings, parents and caregivers asked high-ranking district officials what the plan is for option schools and alternative programs.

The responses received gave parent-led coalition All Together for Seattle Schools a high degree of confidence that SPS plans to eliminate most or all option K-5 and K-8 programs in schools.

While SPS has not addressed this publicly, All Together for Seattle Schools is proactively making it known to SPS leadership that this would be a mistake. They have created a sign-on letter to urge the district to stop a plan to close option schools and alternative programs at the K-5 and K-8 levels.

Please consider signing on to the letter here!

If you’d like to do more, here are some suggestions of ways to take action:

  • Write to the superintendent, Dr. Brent Jones, and the school board. Tell them why we need to support diverse learning options in our school district. Include a story about your own experience showing why you think alternatives help students learn and thrive in school.
  • Reach out to parents and community members you know who care about this issue, and ask them to do the same.
  • Visit alltogetherforseattleschools.org to get involved in this citywide effort to avoid a massive mistake around school consolidation.

Option schools and alternative programs (including dual language, highly capable cohort, and others) promote positive academic outcomes for students, help create an environment that sparks innovation in learning and, given their waitlists, could actually increase SPS enrollment.

Please consider adding your voice to this call to action, and sharing with fellow parents and caregivers in your community.

Image credit: Canva