Seattle Public Schools will ‘consolidate’ 5 schools to plug $100 million deficit

SEATTLE – After weeks of protests and outcry from parents, Seattle Public Schools plans to merge five public schools for the 2025-26 school year.

SPS Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones announced the decision Tuesday evening. The move departs from a proposal the district made last month to close more than 20 schools to plug a $100 million budget shortfall for the next school year.

The backlash from parents and students was so great that the school district canceled upcoming community meetings to work through the proposal.

“Having taken some time to consider your feedback, I have developed a revised plan that will help address the budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year while taking steps to right-size our school system,” Jones wrote in a memo to parents and staff. “As part of this change, I intend to propose the consolidation of five schools for the 2025-26 school year. What we learn from this initial set of schools will guide our future efforts.”

Jones promises the new proposal will “moderately reduce” the $100 million deficit.

SPS has not clarified what is meant by “consolidation” – if the five schools are simply closed, merged with a certain number of other schools, or otherwise. The district has not yet determined which schools will be merged, but will make initial recommendations to the school board “by the end of October.”

It is worth noting that the consolidation process will not apply to K-8 elementary and middle schools or specialized options such as classes for the deaf and hard of hearing and bilingual language instruction.

Jones says the selection process for consolidation will take into account building conditions, learning environment, enrollment and capacity, minimizing disruption to students and staff and ensuring students have access to specialized service models.

The announcement comes after the school board approved Jones’ employment contract, which gives him a double-digit raise. Jones earned more than $323,000 in the 2021-22 school year, according to state records. And in 2022-2023, he earned almost $335,000.

“The base salary increase is the same cost-of-living adjustment provided to other Seattle Public School administrators,” said Riza Rankin, SPS board president.

Jones’ salary is expected to increase by about 6% following the latest agreement. Despite reports of the need to cut the district’s budget by nearly $100 million, the board unanimously approved the employment contract along with a new evaluation instrument.

Jones said he supported the changes and, in solidarity with other central office employees, offered to take unpaid leave.

“I want to take five days off to make sure everything is OK,” he said.

The announcement about the merger of SPS schools can be read on the district’s website.

This is a developing story; check for updates.

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