Sanislo Elementary community gathers to get ready to fight to save their school

(Seattle Public Schools photo)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The word “devastated” came up repeatedly when more than 50 people gathered tonight outside Sanislo Elementary to talk about Seattle Public Schools‘ proposal to close it.

The community-organized gathering – whose leaders asked that video not be taken – was a chance for parents, teachers, neighbors, and students to talk directly to school board director Gina Topp about how they feel, as well as, as an organizer put it, a chance for their voices to be heard in the process, where they had not been heard previously.

They told their stories about what the school is like for them and their kids. Every student is known, every student is greeted, every student is understood, many participants explained. The school has 145 students, according to district data, and is proposed to be merged into Highland Park Elementary, with 276, for a combined population of 421,

It was a diverse crowd – including an immigrant parent who said that after coming to this country “looking for something better,” she discovered a school that was “like a family – received us with open arms.” She also appreciated that Sanislo is a “multicultural school.” The school is 78 percent BIPOC, 74 percent low income. Its staff is diverse too; one of the bilingual teachers who attended the meeting has been at Sanislo for 35 years.

Some of the participating parents have or had multiple children there. More than one expressed sadness that if the closure plan for next year and beyond goes through, their younger children won’t be able to attend the same school as their siblings. One mom was a Sanislo alum herself.

Topp said she was mostly there to listen. Both she and a union rep stressed that there’s not much information yet about how this will all play out – except that the board’s final vote is due in January, after a round of hearings at the four elementaries around the city, including Sanislo, that are proposed for closure. She said she didn’t know yet how she would vote on it. But she stressed that the district’s $94 million budget gap has to be closed somehow – and that the overarching issue is the need for more state funding to fully cover the cost of education.

But that big issue is hard to get your arms around when what you see is a plan to close your child’s school. Some of the staff will be able to move with the students, but not all: “Our librarian dressed up as Mary Poppins yesterday,” recounted one attendee. “She can’t go to Highland Park because it will be kept as a half-time position there,” and that position already is filled. The uncertainty of staffers’ fate “compounds the situation,” one attendee observed.

Some attendees were angry at the injustice they see in the closure plan. One pointed out that eastern West Seattle already has seen other school communities disrupted in recent years – Roxhill Elementary and Cooper Elementary, for two.

Organizers assembled fact sheets, including a refutation of what they say some school-board directors claimed, that Sanislo has a high educational cost per student. Larger West Seattle Elementary, for example, costs only $333 less per year per student. The fact sheet also notes that the “well-resourced school” to which Sanislo students would be moved isn’t necessarily going to be more “well-resourced” than their current school once its population balloons – they say it’ll mean “less time in the library and less specialist time in Art and Music.” Some students who live north of Sanislo will be bused more than two miles to Highland Park, though they are less than half a mile from Boren STEM K-8

Other arguments organizers are making to try to save Sanislo: “Highland Park and Sanislo will BOTH be needed as neighborhood schools to keep up with population increase. By closing Sanislo, Highland Park will be the only neighborhood school for all of Delridge, which has a population of 32,044.” They contend it should be rebuilt rather than closed.

What about the Sanislo building being in bad shape? That’s the district’s fault, organizers contend, neglecting to invest in building improveents for many years: “The building’s disrepair is the result of the District’s neglect, hich now students are paying for.” But the school has an incredible asset in their “green space and city-protected wetlands.”

The fact sheet ends with a plea to “keep Sanislo open.”

Early in the meeting, one participant described Sanislo as a “little sanctuary.” Asked how best to have a say in its fate, Topp replied, “Talk to me, talk to other board directors,” and help them figure out how to fix the budget long-term. “We need everyone heading in the same direction to make our education system work.” (You can reach her, for starters, at gktopp@seattleschools.org.)

16 Replies to "Sanislo Elementary community gathers to get ready to fight to save their school"

  • Kyle October 30, 2024 (8:58 pm)

    It has been quiet about Highland Park expected to absorb all of Sanislo boundaries. Maybe others are just happy their elementary schools won’t be touched. The other 3 “absorbing” elementaries are all brand new rebuilds with expanded space from the past 5 years. Highland Park was rebuilt over 30 years ago. Will the kindergarten wing be expanded to accommodate more classrooms? Will there still be space for the preschool program? This seems like a convenient merger for the rest of West Seattle on the other side of 35th with all that extra capacity and new cap ex dollars being spent at Alki, etc. how did this pass the equity lense SPS is supposed to use?

    • Frog October 31, 2024 (12:03 pm)

      One of the big complaints when SPS announced plans to close 20 schools was the disruption caused by splitting up school communities.  So in their scaled down round 2, they moved the entire population of closed schools to the same other school to keep them together.  It might not make sense, but people complain whichever way they go.  SPS could allow Stanislo families to choose a closer school other than Highland Park if Stanislo was closed.  They could divide the Stanislo attendance area logically among neighboring schools, and allow families the choice between Highland Park and their new attendance area school.  Family choice is not the favorite thing of SPS bureaucrats, but they might agree to it to get their plan through.

      • Jehdrising October 31, 2024 (1:53 pm)

        In this “scaled down round 2”, the district and board said that the whole school community would stay together. However, when this round 2 was announced, Sanislo teachers were told they would not keep their current jobs once Sanislo was closed – instead, they will have to interview for any open teaching positions. There is no guarantee the Sanislo students would have any of their teachers once combined in Highland Park. And that was NOT communicated to parents. So it’s not about people complaining either way; it’s about the district saying one thing and doing another.

    • Melissa Westbrook October 31, 2024 (2:25 pm)

      You ask great questions and I hope you get answers. The Board should not vote for a vague “plan.” I can tell you that the district is committed to hosting the City’s Pre-K program so they will find space for it. In other schools, that has meant fewer spots for before/after-school care. One odd thing about the pre-k program is that the district could, but does not, charge the City any rent to use all those classrooms.

  • 1000amys October 30, 2024 (9:02 pm)

    If the state fully funded special education, that would nearly close the budget gap. Special education is mandated by state and federal laws, as it should be; but the Seattle School District spends around $74,000,000 more than what the state pays them in order to fully serve those students. The state needs to pay for it in full. 

  • CM October 30, 2024 (9:30 pm)

    My kids do not go to Sainslo but that school, property, and neighborhood are such a community treasure. Hard to believe they can’t find that small of an amount of savings somewhere else. 

    • Jehdrising October 31, 2024 (1:59 pm)

      All the published research, and even SPS’ own experience of closing 11 schools in 2007-2009, shows that closing schools doesn’t save money. So, it’s about something else; and it’s patronizing that the school board and district won’t just be honest about their reasons. 

  • Highland Park parent October 30, 2024 (10:22 pm)

    It’s concerning to hear that once Highland Park and Sanislo combine the HP librarian position would remain half-time. Would be interested in verifying that information and, if accurate, how that would be considered a well-resourced school.

  • Plf October 30, 2024 (10:34 pm)

    Unfortunately no one is going to be happy with their proposed school closure no win situation ripe off the Bandaid make a decision so families can grieve and get on with making plans

  • 22blades October 31, 2024 (8:05 am)

    Dog Parks & Pickleball Courts but can’t have schools or a functional P.D.. Pathetic priorities.

    • Reed October 31, 2024 (11:06 am)

      You do realize that Seattle Public Schools does not report to the City of Seattle, and that Parks and Rec planning/funding is completely irrelevant to schools, right? 

    • interested October 31, 2024 (11:32 am)

      We can have it all, and we should have it all, if we have a progressive tax structure. Instead, the city and state will continue to protect those with wealth to gain and hoard more wealth.

  • Jay October 31, 2024 (12:12 pm)

    I hope the playground and wetlands can stay at the very least. It’s a great space to have in the neighborhood.

    • Sanislo Parent October 31, 2024 (5:30 pm)

      The playground is a very poor one compared to surrounding schools, possibly all schools. It’s been neglected by the district for years. I hope it stays too–just saying. 

  • KM October 31, 2024 (9:24 pm)

    Has anyone read this document posted above by @AA222? (Thank you AA222!) Highland Park is not even close to being a “well resourced” school, though I know it’s beloved by its community and rightfully so. From what I read, there are no plans to add resources to Highland Park after pushing Sanislo over to HP.  Forget Superintendent Brent Jones and the School Board (but don’t), we need to look to our WA legislators. As quoted in the Seattle Times today: “State Rep. Gerry Pollet and Sen. Javier Valdez, acknowledged the Legislature had not fulfilled its constitutional duty to fully fund K-12 schools and said legislators will work to do so next year.” West Seattle: Let’s fight to save the beautiful, loving, safe and secure community of children, parents, and teachers at Sanislo!

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