SEATTLE — Ahead of a new academic year in September for 106 Washington schools, the largest public school district in the state is getting ready to make some tough calls.
As Seattle Public Schools grapples with a $131 million budget shortfall and declining enrollment, they kicked off a series of community meetings Tuesday night to establish a vision for what they're calling "well-resourced schools."
"You all are gonna help us define 'well-resourced schools,'" said SPS Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones.
Jones said he hopes to use these community meetings to help him identify priorities for spending within their schools.
Parents shared with KING 5 how they were feeling heading into the meeting.
"We're willing to be as open with them as they want to be with us," said Allison Augustyn, a Stevens Elementary School mother.
Meetings will span over the next three weeks. The 2023-24 school year starts September 6.
"We have kids who fit in your traditional, middle schools and elementaries and stuff, and then you have the kids who fall through the cracks. So those are the kids that we really need to be worried about," said Blaine Parce, a Licton Springs K-8 mother.
Another mother hopes these well-resourced schools will meet the needs of all kids, as she has a son with autism.
"Not just most of the kids, that need a librarian, but: is it going to have what a kid like mine needs?" said Christie Robertson, who is also a Licton Springs K-8 mother.
Safety is also top of mind. Augustyn correlated safety with the presence of arts programs.
“Arts need support. Especially with gun violence these days, people need as many outlets as possible to be expressive, and it has to go beyond what we consider to be the rote education,” said Augustyn.
In a plea for more mental health resources, Robertson brought up the shooting at Ingraham High School last year that left one student dead.
“All three of the people involved were kids, and and what happened before that incident? I'm guessing that those kids weren't feeling okay,” said Robertson.
As SPS leaders weigh their options, parents discussed fears about consolidations, or closures, of schools, like Bellevue recently did.
“The consolidations and closures are very, weighing heavily on me right now,” said Parce.
School closures were a topic addressed in the Garfield High School meeting.
In the Tuesday meeting, Superintendent Jones said, "Right now, I don't have a plan for consolidation.’”
Meanwhile, Maryanne Wood of West Seattle, who is running for the District 6 school board seat, said she is hoping decisions will be made based on “human capital that's involved. Not just the money.”