By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

In a time when Seattle Public Schools enrollment isn’t exactly booming, West Seattle High School enrollment is.

Nearly 1,500 students fill the school now, principal Brian Vance told the Rotary Club of West Seattle today – up from 900 when he took over nine years ago. They’ve had to add portables.

The size of the student body isn’t the only number he brought to tell a success story. He had other numbers, like a 93 percent four-year graduation rate.

And he had some personal points of success, too – dad to two WSHS graduates now in college, president of the districtwide Principals Association of Seattle Schools.

Not everything was rosy. Despite the strong enrollment, they’ve had to make staff cuts for next year because of the district’s finances. Vance mentioned that in response to a question about his biggest current concerns; he also cited students’ mental health, and substance abuse.

He also was asked about cell-phone use in schools, subject of a recently announced district policy. He said WSHS has had a policy since the start of the school year and it’s “going fine.” Elsewhere on the technology front, they’re working with both students and teachers to ensure that AI is used as a support, not a “replacement.”

Vance’s appearance was relatively brief; he said he’d been summoned to a meeting with new district superintendent Ben Shuldiner, whose leadership so far – just hitting the 100-day milestone – led Vance to suggest “there’s going to be some big changes coming.” He did not elaborate.