Seattle Faces Closure Of 20 Elementary Schools Over $105M Shortfall

Here in Yakima there was a lot of outcry about so many of our school staff being let go due to budget cuts.

In Seattle, there's talk of closing upwards of 20 elementary schools.

KUOW reports that $105 million shortfall could lead to 20 of the 70 elementary schools could be closed in the 2025-2026 school year.

They're focusing exclusively on elementary schools. No middle schools or high schools would be affected in these cuts.

Why would Seattle Close Down 20 Elementary Schools

The shortfall of $105 million comes with a massive decline of public school students to the tune of 5,000 students in the past 5 years.

Since funding comes from enrollment the loss of student enrollment lead to an $81 million drop in funds for Seattle schools.

It was also mentioned that with these schools closing, some of the specialized staff like art teachers, librarians, and many more could benefit as some schools don't have those staff members, or if they do they may be limited in hours. This could improve the employment of those staff members.

The list of schools that would be cut aren't available at this time but they said a final list should be available in June of this year.

The good news is this is not a for-sure thing. At least, not yet. They're going to vote on it later to see how it goes.

In a recent public meeting, many people in the community weren't happy about the idea of having 20 elementary schools cut, as you can read the comments on KUOW.

Along with closing schools, they're also considering cutting school staff, cutting central office staff, making changes to transportation, and even changing school start times.