Seattle Public Schools cancels upcoming community meetings, retooling plan on potential closures

SEATTLE — On Monday the Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools reached out to families to announce the cancelation of future meeting concerning potential school closures.

The superintendent will be working with his team to revise the current strategy to prioritize the well-being of students, families and staff.

The overwhelming feedback from parents drove this decision for SPS.

“I am sorry our proposed options created anxiety for many families who rely on the key programs and innovations within our schools. We are retooling our plans to address these concerns,” said Dr. Brent Jones. “This has been a challenging time, especially the last few weeks, and our school system’s issues will take all of us to solve--in our city and in our legislature.”

SPS will provide new opportunities for families to weigh in after the current plan is revised.

“It is no secret we are facing tough times. We face a budget deficit that has gone on far too long,” Jones said. “Over the past seven years alone, our enrollment has dropped by 4,000 students. Despite this, we still operate nearly the same number of school buildings, and we don’t expect enrollment numbers to rebound for many years. Like many school districts in Washington, the funding we receive from the state has failed to keep up with the costs of providing a quality education to Seattle’s students.”

This story is developing and will be updated.

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