SEATTLE — Hundreds of Seattle Public School (SPS) families are meeting with district officials this week to voice their concerns about the possibility of school closures. The district is proposing four schools shut down, including North Beach Elementary School to help address its budget deficit.
"A special school like North Beach, it's not just a school building,” said Maisie Antoniello. “It's a community, it's a beacon of hope."
But that hope is fading for families at North Beach Elementary School, located in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. "It's hard because we know we're on the chopping block," said Antoniello.
Antoniello has two boys going to North Beach. Which is one of the four elementary schools under consideration by the district's school board to close for next school year. It would merge with Viewlands Elementary, about two miles northeast of North Beach.
“I don't know what it's going to look like,” said Antoniello. “I don't think that you can lift and shift what's special in one place and expect it to do well in the next place."
The district is facing a $94 million budget deficit. SPS said on average, closing an elementary school will save $1.5 million.
"It just doesn't feel right or good for any of our kids," said Jennifer Markovitz, the PTA president of North Beach. She’s been fighting to keep it and other schools open. She also believes the potential merger will do more harm than good.
"Creating the largest elementary school in the district and we don't want our kids to go to a mega school with well over 600 kids and not proper staffing and resourcing," said Markovitz.
District officials are meeting with families from schools impacted over the next month before making a final decision in January.
A decision families hope will keep their concerns in mind. "I would encourage families not to give up. Let's keep going, keep pushing," Antoniello.