SEATTLE — As Seattle Public Schools (SPS) braces the community for a series of budget cuts and school closures, the nagging issue of student enrollment may be improving.
New October numbers, just released to KING 5 from SPS, suggest a flatlining, if not an increase in the number of students.
As of October 1, there were 49,240 students enrolled in Seattle Public Schools. Compare that to 49,226 students enrolled one year ago.
The numbers do not suggest an immediate upward trend. However, it's the first time there has not been a drop since the 2019 school year, as the pandemic injected chaos into the public school system.
An SPS spokesperson breaks it down even further; revealing that K-5 enrollment numbers are performing better than projected. Middle school enrollment numbers are also up, with three schools greatly exceeding expectations. High school numbers remain steady.
Student headcount is the primary driver for state school funding. The district insists the enrollment crisis has been partly to blame for a $94 million budget gap. The district is proposing the closure of four elementary schools.
Dr. David Knight, co-director of the Education Policy Analytics Lab and the Center for Early Childhood Policy and Equity at the University of Washington College of Education, suggests school enrollment is only partly to blame for the funding issues.
"It's about 1/5th of the problem," Knight told KING 5. "He says the State of Washington's out-of-date school funding formula has created a chronic problem among school districts.
"The state has invested less in K-12 schools as a share of its own budget. It used to invest more than 50% of its budget in K-12 schools. But that's dropped below 50% in the past few years," he said.
He points out, that the state's economy has been growing steadily in recent years. However, the state has not seen a commensurate increase in educational investment.
School funding is expected to be a topic of contention in the upcoming State Legislative session, which begins on January 13th.