This article is one of a series of articles produced by Word in Black through support provided by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Word In Black is a collaborative of 10 Black-owned media outlets across the country.
By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Facing a $131 million budget shortfall for the next year, Seattle School District officials have made some difficult decisions to help balance the budget. However, they are quick to caution that Washington’s largest school district isn’t out of the red yet.
“Over the last several decades, we (the Seattle Public School District) managed to get ourselves into a structural budget deficit,” says Dr. Brent Jones, Superintendent of the Seattle Public Schools. “This past year, those one-time funds are gone for the upcoming year, so we have to find a way to spend less. The needs are still great, but we have to find a way to spend less.”
While officials say that the district will receive an extra $20 million to help cover budget gaps, the reality is that the Federal Covid Relief Funds that were utilized are set to expire next year. In addition, district officials say that they also had to tap into their rainy-day fund, district reserves, and make adjustments to the central office, staff, and other areas like transportation.
District officials have already announced plans to cut another $18 million from the central office and $5 million from schools. However, they’ll also need to consider different types of cuts, including school consolidations. To date, officials have chosen to postpone this difficult decision for one year, with a plan to engage the community beforehand.
“[This year] we were able to get our budget in order, make several different reductions and adjustments in our budget to submit a balanced budget for 2023-24,” says Jones. “In 2024-25, which is approaching quickly, we will have to do the same, requiring another $104-105 million reduction in our budget.”
District officials attribute the main driving force behind the deficit to the loss of students.
According to Jones, if you look at the raw numbers, the district should probably be considering school closures because under-enrolled schools lack sufficient resources, especially at the elementary school level. Instead of two teachers per grade, there’s only one, and they may not have a full-time nurse or counselor. On the other hand, schools with enrollments of over 400 or so provide the opportunity for a full range of services and programs.
“We don’t like to use the term ‘revenue’ to describe students, but that is how we receive funding from the state—per student,” says Jones. “So, we are losing students for a variety of reasons, primarily due to affordability in Seattle and, secondly, the birth rate. There are simply not as many school-age students as before, as people are having fewer children or choosing not to have children at all.”
“One of the rumors is that we are losing students to private schools and charter schools, but the research does not confirm that,” continued Jones. “There are about 12,000 kids in all the private schools across the city and maybe the entire county, and their enrollments have not significantly increased. Thus, it’s really due to affordability and the birth rate.”
The district has approximately 105 schools, with some variation, and has committed to not consolidating schools in 2023-24. However, district officials admit that this option must remain on the table for future years.
“There is no predetermined list of schools, so I want to alleviate anxiety around that,” says Bev Redmond, SPS Chief of Staff. “We committed to not consolidating schools next year, but it’s about moving forward together in conversation. Dr. Jones and the board face significant decisions. We plan to release a plan in November 2023, and between now and then, there is a lot of work and considerations to be made.”
“We firmly believe that Seattle Public Schools remain the best choice for all of our students,” added Redmond. “The budget deficit forces us to prioritize this, and it’s our primary driver every day. This requires us to engage with our community, discuss our values and vision, and how we can reimagine and strengthen our schools. We’re calling this concept ‘well-resourced schools’ and have been discussing it with communities throughout the district.”
With community engagement, input from families and staff, and collaboration among districts, government, and businesses, district officials are optimistic about the future of the Seattle Public School District.
“We thank all families for participating in community sessions and sharing their voices, inviting them to participate more and contribute to the conversation,” says Redmond. “Their input thus far has been encouraging and heartwarming, reflecting their investment and love for our schools. We want our schools to be as strong as possible, for as long as possible.”
“We want future generations to have the same opportunities as past generations, and that doesn’t happen by luck; it happens by planning. And that’s our current endeavor,” Redmond adds.
