SEATTLE — On Monday night, Seattle Public Schools leaders faced strong opposition from parents and community members over a proposal to close North Beach Elementary School. It's one of four schools SPS proposed to close to cut into the $94 million budget shortfall for the upcoming school year.
Before the meeting, parents rallied with their children outside of the school. PTA President Jennifer Markovitz led the rally.
“We would love for them to actually have some answers for us for their so-called plan. We ask them the same questions over and over again. What’s happening to our teachers and staff? What’s happening to our special education students? How are you going to get enough teachers and staff for a giant school? They never give us clear answers," Markovitz said.
Per the proposal, North Beach students would be sent to Viewlands Elementary School. It's two miles away from North Beach, which would make walking to school impossible for most students. It would also increase enrollment to around 600 students. Parents fear that, along with the stress of going to a new school, it would be detrimental to their child's education.
During the meeting, district officials laid out why North Beach was being considered for closure: building condition, space and the goal of minimizing disruption to students and families. After the explanation, they were peppered with pointed questions. Many touched on the same topics Markovitz said she had questions about. The crowd, for the most part, was not happy with the answers district leaders were giving.
Dr. James Mercer, regional executive director of schools, said hearing everyone's concerns and frustrations is essential to the process.
"Hold us accountable. Tell us what we're missing. We are open to what you have to say to us," Dr. Mercer said.
Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones emphasized no concrete decisions about North Beach's future have been made.
"There's no finality to what we've done yet. We are trying to share with people what's happening in real time," he said.
As many mentioned during the meeting, closing North Beach and other schools would barely touch the projected $94 million shortfall for the 2025-26 school year. Jones acknowledged that. He said school closures and consolidations are just one part of the plan to address the deficit while continuing to serve students.
"We have to think about how we can run more efficiently so we can have more resources being distributed to more students, but if we have more of our resources being distributed to maintain building instead of programs and staffing for students, we have to look at that differently," he said.
Other measures the district is considering to balance the budget include asking state lawmakers for additional funding, laying off central office staff, running more bus routes with fewer buses and renewing local levies.
More public meetings will be scheduled in the coming weeks before the SPS board votes on the proposal.