Seattle Public Schools holds last community meeting regarding school closures

SEATTLE — Teachers and parents will gather on Monday night at North Beach Elementary School to fight for their school, saying they want to stay in the building and don’t want to move next year as Seattle Public Schools is calling for closures.

North Beach PTA President Jennifer Markovitz said there will be a rally at 5:30 p.m. Monday, with the community meeting starting at 6:00 p.m.

Markovitz tells us they will be there early to make signs for the rally.

The meeting is open to all North Beach teachers, parents, and students to express their opinions on the possible closure.

Markovitz said she and the other parents feel betrayed by the district.

“We don’t like this plan, we don’t think it’s good for the kids,” Markovitz said.

Parents say tonight they will fight to keep this community together, instead of transferring all the students to Viewlands Elementary.

“It’s further away from where we live, our kids can’t walk anymore,” Markovitz said. “The biggest thing is nobody asked us what we wanted for our community.”

SPS has named four schools for possible closure: North Beach, Sanislo, Sacajawea, and Stevens Elementary, citing a $94 million budget shortfall.

“This isn’t just about North Beach, this is about Seattle Public Schools students deserving a well-funded well-resourced education,” Markovitz said.

Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones reaffirmed to parents, “We understand this change is difficult. We chose these schools based on factors like building condition, space, and the goal of minimizing disruption to students and families.”

But parents tell us larger classes aren’t ideal for the students.

“The new school Viewlands Elementary would have 650 kids right away which is full capacity for the building,” Markovitz said.

SPS leaders believe closing each school would save them $1.5 million a year. North Beach PTA members believe the number is closer to a million.

Either way, families feel it’s a drop in the bucket to close the budget gap.

We have reached out to Seattle Public Schools to confirm their projections and have not heard back.

After tonight’s meeting, there will be a public hearing in December and the school board will make a final decision in January.

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