Seattle will consider closing 12 schools

Seattle Public Schools is considering closing 12 elementary, K-8 or alternative schools by 2007, a move the district hopes would save up to $5 million a year and help resolve its projected multimillion-dollar budget shortfalls.

Those targets, announced at a School Board meeting Wednesday, involve more schools than when the district first proposed closures last spring.

No specific schools were named. But the district has proposed closing two buildings in the northwestern part of the city, three buildings in the northeast, three in the southwest and four in the southeast.

How much money is saved will hinge on which buildings are selected. The district has previously estimated it could save $400,000 annually for each elementary school it closed.

The board will vote on whether to approve those targets, as well criteria for selecting schools, at its March 15 meeting.

Next Wednesday, the School Board will hold a public hearing and appoint a 14-member citizens advisory committee to recommend which schools to close.

Board members cautioned Wednesday that the recommendations and criteria are preliminary.

But if the targets unveiled Wednesday are approved, the school-closure advisory committee would focus on closing and consolidating buildings to ensure that elementary schools each have between 400 and 550 students.

The rationale is that larger enrollments allow schools to hire more workers, such as physical education, art or music teachers, counselors and instructional coaches for the teachers. As it is now, schools with fewer than 250 students can't always afford to hire those teachers, or full-time librarians and office assistants, unless they're able to secure grants or other outside funding.

One of the biggest differences from last year's failed school-closures proposal is the set of criteria that will likely be used to select schools.

Last year, the district considered concrete factors such as the condition and size of each school building, the size of their grounds and their proximity to other schools.

This time, the proposed criteria are less tangible but would include factors such as a school's academic effectiveness and its connection with its community, both of which the district was heavily criticized for not including last spring.

The school-closures advisory committee would also be urged to concentrate on keeping schools that have more permanent classroom space in their buildings, as opposed to housing many students in portables.

The School Board announced in January that school closures were necessary to help the district resolve projected multimillion-dollar budget shortfalls and boost academics around the district.

Closing schools will be difficult, but it is the right thing to do, said Sherry Carr, president of the Seattle Council PTA and a member of the high-powered superintendent's advisory committee that earlier this year recommended closing schools.

"There (are) just so many empty seats. Empty seats cost money. ... That money needs to be spent in the classroom," she said.

In her role as PTA president, Carr is helping set up community meetings to explain to parents why schools need to be closed.

"It's going to be hard because closing the schools is going to be an emotional and painful process, but I think we need to keep our eye on what can be," she said. "We can have good schools if we're willing to make some of these changes."

Charles Rolland, whose son attends Summit K-12, said he'd rather see the district put forth a comprehensive plan that includes everything at once -- school closures, program consolidations, busing changes, and other measures -- rather than dealing with them separately.

"I'm just afraid that if we continue to piecemeal this whole thing ... we're not putting our kids first," said Rolland, who helped form an influential parents group after last spring's school closure proposal.

The school-closures committee is expected to begin meeting later this month, and give recommendations to Superintendent Raj Manhas by early June. The School Board plans to make a decision by late July, and any closures would be effective for the 2007-08 school year.

WHAT FACTORS WILL BE WEIGHED

The Seattle School Board proposed six criteria to use in deciding which schools to close to help resolve projected budget shortfalls. The district expects to select schools this summer.

The criteria are different from those used last spring, when school closures were first proposed. This time, academics would be taken into account, among other factors. The criteria are not weighted.

They are:

Academics -- As shown by measures such as students' performance on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Also taken into account would be whether students have shown steady improvement and the school has made progress in closing the achievement gap between white students and students of color.
Market share -- As shown by enrollment, how many parents select a school as a first choice and whether the school has a wait list.
A school's potential enrollment -- what it would be if all students of school age in the neighborhood are considered, including children at private schools.
Capital costs -- The building's condition, whether it was recently remodeled. Any health, safety and security aspects would be considered.
Operating costs per pupil -- Administrative, maintenance and utility costs would be considered.
Capacity -- The site size would be considered as well as whether the school has enough room for two to three classes for each grade.
Connecting with families and the neighborhood -- Considered would be whether the school effectively communicates with parents, how much parents are involved in the school and the school's partnerships with community organizations.

SCHOOL CLOSURES

To see the School Board's preliminary targets and criteria, see the action report and the criteria for school consolidation and closure.

P-I reporter Christine Frey contributed to this report. P-I reporter Jessica Blanchard can be reached at 206-448-8322 or jessicablanchard@seattlepi.com.

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