By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

West Seattle/South Park school-board director Gina Topp observed when we walked into the basement meeting room at West Seattle Library last night that there might be more media people in attendance at her community-conversation meeting than constituents. But the initial single-digit attendance – not counting the multiple TV crews – grew as more people trickled in.

The regional media was looking for reaction to what had happened just an hour earlier – the full School Board had officially voted to both accept superintendent Dr. Brent Jones‘s withdrawal of his school-closure recommendations, and to withdraw the direction that had led to his recommendations, while clarifying that this all doesn’t mean they’ll never consider closures again. (The motion, voted on remotely, passed unanimously.)

Topp began her gathering by inviting everyone to introduce themselves, while noting she recognized many of them from her previous community-conversation meetings – even Maryanne Wood, Topp’s opponent in last year’s election for the board position.

Some of the attendees were Sanislo Elementary supporters who, while relieved the possible closure of their school is off the table for next school year, wanted to know about the “next steps” to address the district’s nine-digit budget shortfall. (Other school connections mentioned by attendees included Alki Elementary, Pathfinder K-8, West Seattle High School – “we’re a bit overenrolled,” that parent noted – and Chief Sealth International High School.)

After introductions, Topp opened the floor to questions/comments. A Sanislo advocate noted that while last week’s board meeting – precursor to the closure-plan cancellation – was welcome, they were concerned about the lack of written materials regarding what was in the update Jones was planning to deliver before instead announcing he was considering withdrawing the closure recommendations. Topp said she wasn’t sure; the parent said it’s still relevant, because Dr. Jones is still in charge of what happens next. Topp said the next board meeting should bring information on other areas from which budget cuts could be made. They’re also expecting longer-term budget stabilization info by next June. “We still have a LOT of work to do – where this $100 million is going to come from – plus a loan we took from ourselves … that we have to pay. … Over the years we’ve taken the low-hanging fruit (regarding cuts) … ” Topp said she had been willing to consider school closures if they could have factored into long-term stabilization.

A Sanislo advocate mentioned a parent’s online analysis saying the closures wouldn’t have saved nearly as much as suggested. She said that there are several other parents/writers who had suggestions for alternatives to closing schools.

“Sounds like a perfect member of the (future) task force!” exclaimed Topp, who agreed “there’s so much knowledge in our community, and innovation … how do we take that information and use it?” She then explained that the task force referred to something that the board sought to create as part of the school-closure plan; there was a lot of discussion about whether that would go on. She said that in December they’ll need to “add language” to ensure that a task force regarding the budget – not just possible closures – is created.

Another parent suggested that Sanislo had been “negatively impacted” by the large schools built/renovated in West Seattle – Arbor Heights and Genesee Hill, for example – over the past decade without much consideration as to how that would affect enrollment at schools like Sanislo. She pointed out the little school’s strengths, like its environmental-learning program. And possibilities, like a Montessori program. She suggested that big schools “don’t work for every kid.”

Topp said she ‘understood the concept of bigger schools” but feels “we did a disservice to our commmunity … going through this process,” so she wants to learn from it for “better decisions” in the future.

An Alki Elementary parent then brought up the potential three-bell schedule, saying it’s back on the agenda but “no one’s talking about it,” and saying some of the possible schedules – like schools with a 9:30 am start – would not work for some families/students.” Topp agreed that the three-bell schedule is indeed being explored as part of budget considerations.

Next parent said one frustration was that the now-scrapped closure plan including Sanislo “was the only (plan) presented to everybody. … It feels like there were no alternatives presented to the community, we just had to fight school closures.” She talked about a school (not in West Seattle) that had to move “four times” and lost much of its population. “I don’t think it was good for the community.”

Manuela Slye, who’s on the Seattle Council PTSA, said the process had underscored the importance of engagement – and that not everyone has access to standard aspects of the process, like social-media discussion or news articles. The information is often not provided in languages other than English. She said authentic, inclusive engagement is vital, as is having information provided in amply accessible ways.

Topp had words of praise for Sanislo’s recent community-organized outdoor meeting (WSB coverage here) – with interpretation, child care, snacks, “It was an example of a really well-done community meeting.” She also offered more regret that “if we had started by saying ‘we have a $100 million budget deficit, so how do we solve that?’ we’d be in a different place right now.”

Another attendee: As the district figures out how to address the budget deficit, where will the information come from? How will the community be informed? Topp said those questions are yet to be answered.

Another attendee noted that school-board meetings’ important info seems to all be stuffed into the “consent agenda.” Further discussing how the board works, Topp then tried to explain “student-outcome-focused government,” which the board is supposed to be embracing, saying it had to do with goals and direction, rather than micromanaging – it’s important “that we are trying to achieve the same thing,” she said. She added that no one on the board is against SOFG as far as she knows.

Another attendee thought the now-scrapped school-closure plan was a result of everything going awry in a “very strange sequence of events” resulting in “the school board running in fear” once there was a community uprising against the plan. “The school board never seemed to be corrupt,” he observed.

“Just dysfunctional,” another person added quietly.

Another attendee agreed that some parents might not understand how the board works, or is supposed to.

“That’s the case for a lot of things about parenting,” observed another attendee.

Yet another attendee agreed that there’s a lot of confusion, different groups speaking out, “and it’s just kind of hard to have facts that people can digest in a really understandable way.”

What people are asking for is more information, distilled Topp. And engagement.

A Sanislo advocate amplified that by recalling that back when there were just rumors of possible closures, “we didn’t even know there’d be a way to fight it. … There was a lack of information about it.” Topp agreed that there needed to be a way “to harness all the information.”

A school employee observed that there’s a big question about who gets to be heard during “engagement” – and again recalled the Sanislo playground meeting, which sought to reach out to everyone.” She also had a point that Slye had made, that the diverse community wasn’t necessarily reflected in PTSA groups, for example.

Topp said it was imperative to be intentional about how you “set up” conversations and moments.

A Sanislo advocate said she had promised to bring a school librarian’s perspective, after hearing that all librarians would be cut to halftime positions – “you can’t even manage en elementary school library on halftime,” and listed all the ways that the librarian she was quoting strives to help their students – beyond “just” helping with reading. Well-funded library programs help turn out kids who are more poised for success,, she noted.

Topp noted she has memories of most of her school librarians from her days as a student. But she brought the discussion back around to money, reminding attendees, “none of this is going to be easy … so how do we make decisions with the best information possible?” She recalled a recent meeting with school board directors from around the state, saying so many of them are also grappling with budgeting.

A Sanislo parent said she’s “deeply disappointed” that the school-funding situation has been going downhill for 30 years and hasn’t been fully fixed yet. She and another speaker agreed that state leaders have failed them. “They shouldn’t keep their job” if they can’t properly fund education,” the other attendee declared. “It’s not the Legislature, it’s very specific people IN the Legislature who have let us down.”

Many other levels of government are hurting financially too, others pointed out. The Legislature has “tools in their toolbox” to fix their own financial situation, though, Topp observed.

“Preventive maintenance” would work better than “fire-drill mode,” Sanislo dad Ken observed. “If you can get ahead of as many problems as possible …” then you’ll make progress. That goes for knowing how to be involved, finding the information, disseminating it … How do we get ahead of problems rather than responding to them all the time? … This is a human system – we made it – we can deal with it.”

“I am concerned that the school district has lost the trust of the community,” one of the Sanislo advocates declared.

Topp agreed and said the district must work on rebuilding that trust.

A school employee said the district should acknowledge that, and ask for feedback. That led to praise for Topp for having community-conversation meetings – something other directors aren’t doing. The school board’s unpaid status came up at that point – “what other job are you in charge of a $1 billion budget and unpaid?” asked Topp.

One more comment from Sanislo parent Ken – he said he was frustrated at the district’s meeting there to hear some district reps say that Sanislo wasn’t how a school was meant to look. “It’s about the people,” he said, not the physical surroundings. Also, regarding the meeting format itself: “It wasn’t authentic engagement – it was them going through a script,” observed another Sanislo advocate.

At that point, Topp had to wrap up because the library was closing. She’ll have another meeting in December; we’ll announce the date and time as soon as we get word.

Thanks to those who forwarded this: One night before the Seattle Public Schools Board was scheduled to have a special meeting to authorize superintendent Dr. Brent Jones to withdraw his plan to close four schools, he sent families a message tonight saying he’s doing just that, declaring the district will find other ways to save money – next school year, at least:

As Superintendent, I take seriously the responsibility of ensuring our district’s schools meet the needs of every student while operating sustainably for the future.

Earlier this year, the Seattle School Board directed me to develop a preliminary recommendation for elementary school closures and consolidations to address enrollment declines, budgetary challenges, stabilizing programs and services.

After much deliberation, reflection, and engagement with our community, it is clear there is no longer a pathway for this approach for the 2025-26 school year. I am withdrawing my preliminary recommendation, and we will not pursue school closures and consolidations for the upcoming school year. The Board will vote Tuesday to formally approve this direction.

This decision was not made lightly and reflects the Board and my shared priority: the needs and well-being of our students, families, and community. While our Board recognized the vision for the proposed changes, and many in our community understood the need for stability behind them, this decision allows us to clarify the process, deepen our understanding of the potential impacts, and thoughtfully determine our next steps.

The projected $5.5 million savings from the proposed closures are significant. However, we agree that achieving these savings should not come at the cost of dividing our community.

The discourse surrounding this issue highlighted the need for constructive conversations and collaboration to replace conflict, as meaningful progress for our students requires unity and shared purpose.

Instead, we will focus on addressing our district’s budget shortfall through legislative and levy renewal advocacy, as well as pursuing operational efficiencies aligned with our shared values and priorities. We also remain committed to addressing the underlying issues that drove this initial proposal. These challenges remain critical to ensuring the long-term health of our district, and we will continue to work together to find solutions and ensure any adjustments we make are both equitable and sustainable. …

The closure possibility loomed over months of meetings, discussions, and protests about what the district originally suggested would result in a system of “well-resourced schools” – a concept first introduced a year and a half ago – closing up to 20 of them and offering two possible slates of closures. That was eventually whittled down to four elementaries including Sanislo. Then last week’s emotional board meeting ended with Dr. Jones saying he might withdraw the plan.

P.S. If you want to talk with West Seattle/South Park school-board director Gina Topp about any of this – or any other SPS topic – her community conversation meeting remains on for 6:30 pm tomorrow (Tuesday, November 26) at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW), shortly after the board’s one-issue, online-only meeting to officially cancel the closures.

His final decision on whether to withdraw the four-school-closure plan isn’t in yet, but Seattle Public Schools superintendent Dr. Brent Jones has announced the upcoming meetings/hearings for the affected school communities are canceled/on hold. Here’s his statement released today:

We are canceling our upcoming round of online community meetings at North Beach, Sacajawea, Sanislo, and Stevens elementary schools. We are doing so as the board has decided to delay the December closure and consolidation hearings, in part based on important input from families that we all value. As a result, I am considering withdrawing my earlier recommendations for closure and consolidation.

Our next step is to sit down with the school board for further planning. Having community meetings before or during these conversations would not be fair at this time.

Closing and consolidating schools is one of the hardest conversations we have ever had as a community. The conversations with affected school families, with the larger Seattle Public Schools community, our staff, and our board have been productive and at times painful. We understand that no one wants their beloved school to close – and we appreciate how much you love your schools, the teachers, the staff, and the culture that helps each student thrive.

I want to thank our school community for providing feedback as we work to address our budget gap and build a sustainable system so that every student thrives.

As noted in our report on the school-board meeting that preceded this, local school board director Gina Topp will have a community-conversation meeting at 6:30 pm next Tuesday (November 26) at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW), and that’s a good place to plan to voice your opinions and ask questions.

While the wind raged across our region, a gust of surprise stirred things up at last night’s Seattle Public Schools board meeting (video above). Suddenly, the district might be abandoning its plan to close schools to save money. (Four elementaries are proposed for shutdown, including Sanislo Elementary on West Seattle’s Puget Ridge, with one parent last night saying the closures would “destroy communities”). Toward the end of the emotional meeting, including impassioned testimony by supporters of the targeted schools, Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones threw out his planned update on the closure process and instead announced he’s “considering withdrawing the recommendations.” That in turn had followed a tearful speech by board president Liza Rankin – currently the subject of a recall campaign – saying the path on which they were proceeding does not “align with any of the things we asked for.” While legal counsel said she couldn’t simply call for a vote on scrapping the proposed closures then and there, she was told she does have the power to postpone the formal hearings planned for next month at the schools. If the superintendent withdraws his recommendations, that would do the same thing. So now it’s a matter of what happens next.

Meantime, West Seattle’s school board director Gina Topp has set the time and place for her next community-conversation meeting – 6:30 pm Tuesday, (corrected) November 26, at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW) – you can talk/ask about the closures or any other SPS topic.

In addition to what’s already on the calendar, we just got word of one more school open house today: Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) invites prospective families to visit 1 pm-2:30 pm this afternoon:

Discover what makes our school unique! Meet our passionate teachers, hear from community members, and explore our classrooms. Learn about our focus on social-emotional learning, outdoor education, financial aid, and more. Adults and kids welcome!

Explorer West is at 10015 28th SW.

Local preschools that want to reach a lot of families all in one night have an easy way to do that – sign up to be part of the West Seattle Preschool Fair! Here’s the invitation that organizers asked us to share:

Calling West Seattle-area Preschools! We will be holding our annual local Preschool Fair on January 7th, from 5:30 pm-7 pm at Hope Lutheran School’s North Gym. This is a great resource for young families in our area to learn about the options in our neighborhood. If you are interested in participating, please use this link to sign-up by next Monday (November 18th). Questions – westseattlepreschoolfair@gmail.com

And of course, if your family has a future preschooler, save the date!

(SSC photo: Dr. Monica Brown at right, greeting students at start of fall quarter)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The new president of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), Dr. Monica Brown, is in her fourth month of leading West Seattle’s only higher-education institution.

But who’s counting? She is. When we sat down to talk recently, she cited the number of days she had been on the job, “and I have been counting.” (In a good way,)

This is her first college presidency, after several senior roles elsewhere, most recently senior vice president for student affairs at Montgomery College in the Washington, D.C., area, a job in which she was “primarily responsible for all things related to student services.” More of an “internal” role, she said, but with external support involved.

What hasn’t changed in her elevation to a presidency is the “focus on all things students’ success.” Working with her cabinet, she says, it’s important to have a sense of the community’s needs as well as students’ needs, though “these things are ever evolving.”

After more than 20 years at Montgomery College, she crossed the country to come work at South Seattle College. Why?

Read More

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Three weeks after Seattle Public Schools superintendent Dr. Brent Jones announced plans to close Sanislo Elementary and three other schools to save money, district reps came to Sanislo tonight for an info/Q&A session.

Parents and students around the room came for a fight, though the district reps on hand weren’t the decisionmakers (ultimately, that’s the School Board). They held signs like the one below to show their support for the Puget Ridge school and its staff. Principal Erika Ayer opened by talking a bit about the school’s history and traditions. But the night was largely short on specifics – talk of a “transition,” but not of how exactly it would work.

District chief of staff Bev Redmond filled in for the superintendent, who she said is sick. She said “he would tell you …. this is one of the hardest conversations to have with a (school community).” First came a presentation led by Dr. Marni Campbell (below right), the administrator overseeing the process, who said they’re in a “30-day period of public review” for the proposed closures. She insisted the district isn’t taking the closure/consolidation plan “lightly” but that it wants to ensure students have access to things they can’t do at a smaller school. The slide on the screen made lofty promises about “enhanced learning” and expanded “holistic support.”

Next, director of school operations Tyler Hamilton (above left) took the mic. Why is Sanislo one of the four schools targeted for closing? A slide carried three points: “Building condition and learning environment scores” was at the top of the list. Sanislo is in poor condition, Hamilton said, and its learning environment (“design of the building”) is “fair.” (Sanislo has a unique open design.) Also, “regional distribution of students” is a factor, and “which buildings in West Seattle make the most sense to use as schools.” He showed enrollment numbers from last month – 140 currently at Sanislo, 263 at Highland Park Elementary, with which it’s proposed to be merged. The grid he showed also looked at staffing, some of which would go down per student – one principal and a halftime assistant principal for the combined schools as opposed to two fulltime principals for the two schools, for example. A half-FTE librarian for the combined school – as opposed to half for each school.

Then came a slide selling the benefits of HPE – “a well-resourced, updated facility,” for example. They promised a “full continuum of special-education services.” Campbell said the hope is that the two schools would truly come together, even a merger of PTAs.

Next step: A hearing in December, she said, but while the closure isn’t yet a done deal, it’s important to think ahead to “what will we do, what could we do.” That led, about 20 minutes into the meeting, to the moderator for Q&A. They offered the chance for people to speak aloud or write their question on a card.

Ken was first at the mic. “This is a good school,” he declared, and then brought up Chicago’s unsuccessful bout with school closures. “Why are you closing Sanislo without evidence that it benefits students OR the budget?”

District chief operations officer Fred Podesta said they have a history of opening/closing buildings and they do know how it’ll affect the budget but they really want to invest in “schools that will be successful.” He claimed very few districts have schools with fewer than 300 students – while SPS “has 29.” “We think we can replicate what’s great” in creating these consolidated schools.

Another parent said her student will have less weekly access to arts and music, and that consolidation will mean less attention for the students already at Highland Park, so why is that better? Hamilton said Sanislo has extra music “purchased through a grant” and that’s not shown in the charts they’ve been circulating, so the situation may be better than it looks. Campbell said the teacher positions follow the students – not necessarily the same teachers, though.

The moderator then read written questions which again noted the lower per-capita staff numbers projected for the combined school, Hamilton said they’re “still working through the budget” to see what the actual plan would be. Another question again focused on the strain that will be placed at Highland Park. Campbell said that all the school administrators citywide involved with this “see the benefit of more students.” She claimed Highland Park’s principal Mary McDaniel had said it was getting harder year by year as the enrollment got smaller and smaller (some scoffing was heard in the crowd).

A parent of two Sanislo students broke into tears as she took the mic. “How can you guys guarantee that our kids aren’t going to bear the brunt of the (budget) fix – what are you guys going to give up?” The district is who broke the budget, not the kids, she said. “Do you have plans for busing the families who live super-far from Highland Park?” She said the staff makes this a special place and if the consolidation goes ahead, she wants to see them go with the kids.

Chris Carter, the district official who supervises principals in this region, and is their liaison with the central office. He said, like Redmond, he wanted to recognize “how hard” this is. “What does the transition look like? All the key stakeholders,” he said, talking about “building transition plans” for staff, students, families.

Ann, both a community member and the nurse at Sanislo and Roxhill, talked about the school sitting in the Longfellow Creek watershed, and being among the most linguistically diverse schools. Low-income children, children of color, benefit from being in these environmental spaces. Roxhill was moved from being next to the greenspace. Now Sanislo is being proposed for a move, and how does that affect social/emotional health? Campbell said that’s “definitely something to take under consideration.”

Back to cards – why aren’t the actual teachers following the kids, who will “lose contact with trusted teachers and staff.” Hamilton said, “We want the communities to be able to move together,” but they also have to honor labor agreements.” But “we want staff who want to move with the students to be able to do that.” But, he said, if enrollment keeps declining at individual schools, they have to make hard choices about what to let go, and this should reduce that.

A question read off a card was from a parent wondering if she’d be able to transfer her student to Louisa Boren STEM K-8. “That would happen during the open enrollment period,” replied Campbell. She added that they could have a “school-closure tiebreaker” to give some preference to families like that.

It was almost 7 pm by then; Redmond offered to extend it 15 minutes, as they had done at a similar meeting at Sacajawea.

The next questioner at the mic talked about her son getting extra reading help from a teacher, which she said might not be available at a larger school. She recalled that a lack of attention like that was a challenge during her school days. What are you going to do for kids not to get passed on when they don’t know the material?

Whatever transition happens, Campbell said, they’ll maintain the “caring relationships you’re talking about.”

Next at the mic, a Sanislo graduate, offering “more of a thought,” and breaking up – “This is personal to us – aside from learning, teachers, they were like our parents. They could scold us. My mom gave permission to anybody at this school to scold me.” She talked about Sanislo’s open layout, not “stuck behind four walls.” She wanted to know what opportunity people have to “raise money, get grants” to try to help with the budget problem rather than see the school “ripped away.”

What are you planning to do with the school and land if Sanislo does close? Podesta answered that, saying they’d keep the property in their inventory and “look for interim uses … as the city grows and grows it’s harder to find property” so they’d keep it, but hopefully make the greenspace available to the community. The building, though, might be torn down.

Note-card question: How does the superintendent justify accepting a raise when the district has a budget deficit? Redmond said “yes, the superintendent did receive a cost-of-living adjustment” – that drew laughter – “I won’t justify that, but” it was part of the “terms of his employment.” But, she said, “we have to hustle” to tell legislators “our schools deserve the maximum funding … we don’t want to be in a position like this.” She returned again to “It’s incredibly hard to have this conversation … I can see the love resonating in you … our next step to balance the budget is to head to Olympia.”

One more person had a turn with the mic, and impassioned words: “I’m not hearing any solution for our kids – where are our kids in this? I don’t want to lose all this for my daughter to be like a sardine.” Also, she wondered, where will the other $94 million budget savings be found. “How will you fix your mistakes by closing this school? You say this school is old … that’s your fault. … How do you say these things, with no solution? Sanislo has a lot of people behind it” – multiple generations of supporters. “You can make a family in a school – give us a solution – I’m pretty sure Highland Park already has enough work – I hope there is time … make a difference, make it work, for our kids.”

And with that, the meeting was a wrap – after the moderator was interrupted by the last speaker standing up again to say “Sanislo, we love you, we are a family.”

The next meeting will be November 25th, and they hope to have online access for that one as well as in-person.