West Seattle, Washington
12 Saturday
In a doubleheader last night at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex, both high-school varsity football teams scored victories by keeping their opponents scoreless. West Seattle High School (3-3) opened the night against Lakeside, winning 13-0; Chief Sealth International High School (5-1) closed the night with a 50-0 win over Cleveland. Next Friday (October 18), WSHS plays Ingraham at NCSWAC at 4:30 pm, while CSIHS is on the road, 7:45 pm at Nathan Hale.
Five hours after that rally outside Seattle Public Schools headquarters, stressing opposition to any school closures, the district superintendent and board moved ahead with a plan to propose up to five.
First, the board approved this resolution setting some parameters for superintendent Dr. Brent Jones‘s forthcoming proposal, including a directive to create a community task force. Our area’s school board director Gina Topp was a co-sponsor of the resolution and said she hoped it would help rebuild trust. The board, at the behest of director Brandon Hersey, added language underscoring that five would be the maximum number of closures proposed – for next year, anyway.
Shortly thereafter, Dr. Jones presented his progress report on the plan, with two major headlines: He says he’s planning to release his proposed list of up to five schools “around October 21”; just one list, no alternative “options” like last time. And he said the intention will be for those five school “communities” to stay together as they are consolidated into other campuses, so the students and staff can move together. Here are both of the two slides he showed:
However, the demonstration before the meeting, led again by the coalition All Together for Seattle Schools, stressed that even one closure is too many.
Speakers included West Seattle parents whose schools had been on the now-scrapped lists – including Katie Lewis from Louisa Boren STEM K-8:
Boren has an indefinite reprieve, because the new short list is not supposed to include any K-8 or option schools. No such reassurance for the other West Seattle school that like Boren was on both of Dr. Jones’s previous lists, Sanislo Elementary. Sanislo parent Briana Herman-Brand spoke at the board meeting as well as at the rally, noting that the school’s small size “is part of its magic,”
Rather than closing schools, the coalition wants to see the state fully fund them. The board talked about a possible lobbying trip to Olympia; closure opponents implored them to make use of the community energy. Before the rally, we talked with a Gatewood Elementary parent who said their PTA is circulating an open letter to the governor, calling for a special legislative session “to fully fund public schools.” You can see the letter – and add your name if you want to – by going to gatewoodpta.org/openletter.
The West Seattle High School girls’ soccer team won their first match of the season today, playing their cross-peninsula counterparts from Chief Sealth International High School.
Final score was 11-1. Sealth scored that one goal in the first half and the Wildcats shut out the Seahawks the rest of the way.
Both teams have their next matches on Thursday (October 10) – WSHS (1-7-1) plays Seattle Academy at 4 pm at Delridge Playfield (4458 Delridge Way SW); CSIHS (4-2-4) takes on Ingraham at 4:30 pm at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).
With one month (and one day) to go until this year’s fundraising dinner/auction for Chief Sealth International High School, tickets are available at the “early bird” rate. Here’s the announcement we were asked to share:
The Chief Sealth Auction Committee invites you to purchase Early Bird tickets to our fundraising auction this year! The event will be held at South Seattle College’s Brockey Center in West Seattle on November 9th at 5:30 pm.
The Auction team is currently hard at work securing donations, putting together gift packages, choosing decorations, and planning a fun night in the spirit of the theme “Soaring with Sealth.” Early bird tickets are available this week for $90 ($80 teacher/coach) and include a delicious Northwest meal, plus a great night of entertainment, games, and memorable moments.
We’re also accepting donations for the auction of goods and services, so if you have something you’d like to donate, please let us know. Buy tickets and make donations on our Auction website. Questions can go to Auction Chair Dawn Pomeroy (dpomeroy70.dp@gmail.com)
Come celebrate our school while raising money for a great cause. We hope to see you there.
With one game last night and one this afternoon, this week’s local high-school varsity football games are both in the books. This afternoon at Memorial Stadium downtown, West Seattle HS won its second game of the year, beating Franklin 34-7. Last night at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex, Chief Sealth IHS lost to Lakeside 13-10, its first defeat of the year. Next week, both teams play Friday night games at NCSWAC (2801 SW Thistle) – WSHS (2-3) vs. Lakeside at 4:30 pm, CSIHS (4-1) vs. Cleveland at 7:30 pm.
Our area’s two biggest high schools are both having excellent seasons in volleyball, and each team notched two more wins this week. West Seattle HS is leading the Metro League Mountain Division at 7-0; Chief Sealth IHS is second in the Metro League Sound Division at 9-1. This week, the Wildcats beat Bishop Blanchet 3-0 at home and Holy Names 3-1 on the road; the Seahawks were victorious over Cleveland and Rainier Beach, both by a score of 3-0, both at home. Next week’s schedules for both teams are here; if you want to see them both on the same court at the same time, WSHS and CSIHS will face off one week from Monday, 7 pm October 14, in the West Seattle gym (3000 California SW).
When we reported Monday night on Seattle Public Schools‘ proposed $1.8 billion, six-year capital-levy renewal/expansion – BEX VI (aka the sixth “Building Excellence” levy) – we noted the biggest West Seattle project on its list is a $50 million addition for Career Technical Education at Chief Sealth International High School. We also noted that the levy document linked to the agenda for next week’s School Board meeting (4:15 pm October 9) has no other details about the proposed project, and that the process of developing the levy list did not involve community consultation the way BEX V did. So we had to ask SPS’s media team to dig up details on the proposal, which they’ve done over the past few days. According to district spokesperson Tina Riss Christiansen:
An addition to Chief Sealth International High School is proposed to meet the needs of the Career and Technical Education Program, eliminate the eight portables along the west property edge, and enhance energy conservation, addressing both State of Washington Clean Energy and City of Seattle’s Building Emissions requirements.
The classroom addition is planned to be added at the northern portion of the existing school and will include relocating the existing Career and Technical Education construction trades classroom from the basement and the food service classroom from the interior of the building. Both classrooms are undersized for the student populations they serve and poorly located for routinely transporting the materials and supplies required to meet the educational program needs.
In addition, SPS plans to construct eight general education classrooms.
The project is contingent on School Board approval of the levy projects and voter approval of the levy. Construction is planned to occur with students remaining on-site.
The $50M is divided 2/3 construction and 1/3 A/E fees, permit costs, construction contingency, furnishings, and Washington State Sales Tax.
No renderings yet, the district says, because design work won’t start until and unless the levy – one of two that the district plans to send to voters in February – is approved.
We are in the process of scheduling community information meetings on both levies after the Oct. 9, 2024, Board Meeting and Study Session.
Adding proposed project information to the website is also in progress.
Local students have another opportunity to get an early start in volunteer work! The Fairmount Park Elementary PTA asked us to share this request with you:
Fairmount Park Elementary PTA is hosting the annual Falcon Fest on October 18th from 6-7:30 pm. This is a fall festival with family friendly games. The PTA is need of Middle and High Schoolers to help run the stations. If you are a past Fairmount Park student, this is a fun way to earn volunteer hours and support your alma mater. Please sign up here.
Part of the Alki Elementary rebuild project is an overhaul for the playground on the north side of the school/south side of Alki Playfield. The city has announced a community meeting and survey to update the design process. From the Seattle Parks-circulated announcement:
Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Schools invite you to join us on Wednesday, October 16, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Alki Beach Bathhouse, 2701 Alki Ave SW, to share your input on the Alki Playground Renovation project design!
During this meeting, you’ll have the opportunity to see how your input from earlier this summer was incorporated into the new playground design. This event will provide a platform for the community to engage with the design team, review the proposed layout for the play area, and provide input on your preferred play equipment option. Your participation will help shape the final vision for the Alki Playground renovation …
Please take a moment to complete the Alki Park Improvements – New Play Equipment Survey and share your preferences for the play equipment options. Your feedback is needed to ensure the new playground meets the needs and desires of the community.
For more information on the project please visit seattleschools.org/departments/capital-projects-and-planning/school-construction/projects/alki or contact Brian Fabella at brfabella@seattleschools.org or (206) 252-0702.
The new school is expected to open in fall 2026. The playground may be ready earlier that year.
Another development in Seattle Public Schools‘ winding road toward possibly closing schools to save money. Last month, West Seattle/South Park school board director Gina Topp suggested that the superintendent come up with a Option C – closing a handful of schools for starters, rather than the 20+ in the officially unveiled Options A and B. Late today, superintendent Dr. Brent Jones did just that, saying he’ll propose five schools for closure in the 2025-2026 school year – though he didn’t say which five, though he did say the list will NOT include K-8 or option schools. Here’s his full message:
Dear SPS families, staff, and community,
Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts about our plan to develop a system of well-resourced schools. I heard you loud and clear, and I understand the many valid concerns you have about the plan in its current form.
We know we need the support of our students, families, and staff to uplift a large-scale change such as this. My hope is that we can work together to re-establish a level of trust that allows us to move forward in a way that honors our school communities.
After taking some time to reflect on your feedback, I have developed a revised plan that will support addressing the budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year while taking steps to right-size our school system. Under this revision, I intend to propose consolidating five schools for the 2025-26 school year. What we learn from this initial set of schools will guide our future action.
It is also clear our families value many of the offerings we have in our district. Under the revised plan, K-8 and option schools – including those with specialized service models like Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Dual Language Immersion – are not under consideration for the upcoming school year.
Like many districts, SPS is facing declining enrollment and very real budget challenges. This new approach aims to reduce disruption while helping us balance budgets in the coming years. We are working hard to close an approximate $100 million budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year. Each consolidation will moderately lower this deficit, contributing to our long-term financial stability.
Selection Criteria for Consolidations
Over the next few weeks, the Well-Resourced Schools team and I will determine the five schools recommended for consolidation for the 2025-26 school year. A third-party expert will validate the evaluation process to ensure transparency and accountability.The selection process is based on the following criteria:
-Building condition: Physical building safety and health levels
-Learning environment: Facility’s design in support of all types of learning
-Analyzing enrollment and capacity: Facility’s ability to hold 400+ students, including space for intensive IEP services and preschool classrooms
-Minimizing disruption for students and staff: Facility’s ability to keep as many students and families together as possible
-Maintaining student access to specialized service models: Facility’s ability to house the resources students need to thriveWhat’s Next
We expect to share preliminary recommendations with the Board by the end of October.We encourage you to stay engaged and share your thoughts as we navigate this important decision together. We will be hosting community gatherings for both general information purposes as well as to share specific plans and transition supports for impacted schools.
We are listening, and we value your input — it is critical in shaping a stronger future for our students.
Please submit your questions or feedback through our Let’s Talk form.
Thank you for caring so deeply about the future of our schools and for your continued support.
This means two West Seattle schools that were under consideration for closures or changes – Boren STEM K-8 was on both closure-option lists, and one list would have changed Pathfinder K-8 to a regular elementary school – have a reprieve, for now. But two other West Seattle schools will have to wait and see if they are still being considered – Sanislo Elementary was on both closure option lists, and Lafayette Elementary was on one. Meantime, while trying to address a $100 million budget gap, the district was meeting today to consider a contract extension and raise for Jones, and is scheduled next week to consider sending $2.4 billion worth of levy renewals/expansions to voters (as reported here last night).
Even while dealing with an immediate budget shortfall that might lead to school closures, Seattle Public Schools is moving ahead with renewal/expansion plans for two levies, the operations levy and the capital levy (BEX). The recommendations for both are currently scheduled to go before the School Board next week, at its October 9 meeting, and some information already is available via the early version of the meeting agenda. They are both proposed to go to voters next February.
The biggest of the two is the six-year BEX VI capital levy, proposed for $1.8 billion, up from the $1.4 billion voters approved in 2018 in its predecessor BEX V. This one includes many projects around the district; the biggest in our area would be a $50 million addition for Chief Sealth International High School, described only as “CTE addition” (Career and Technical Education). The board resolution also mentions smaller local projects including $1 million for fire-alarm work at Highland Park Elementary and athletic-field work at district-owned Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex and Denny International Middle School. (The spending breakout starts on page 7 of the resolution.)
We haven’t yet found documents with full details on these projects; the process leading up to this list has included a lot less public involvement than the previous capital levies. BEX V, in comparison – the levy that funded the Alki Elementary rebuild and West Seattle Elementary expansion, among other things – had myriad public planning meetings, WSB archives show.
As for the Educational Programs and Operations levy, it’s proposed for $673 million over three years; the one that’s expiring raised $646 million. The text of this resolution has not yet been added to the board agenda. The page for the current EPO levy says it provides funding for some staff, support programs, athletics, and the arts. That page also noted, “Local levies, which must be approved by Seattle voters, provide 15% of the SPS operating budget.” We’ll be following up with the district for more information before the board meeting.
P.S. The board has a special online meeting tomorrow to consider extending superintendent Dr. Brent Jones‘s contract.
Looking at the week ahead: Chief Sealth International High School‘s PTSA will host its first general meeting of the school year on Tuesday night (October 1). Michelle Riggen-Ransom from the PTSA says the agenda has two major highlights: Principal Ray Morales will talk about school safety, and Academic Intervention Specialist Rachel Evans will answer questions about the upcoming PSAT and SAT testing sessions. All are welcome, not just parents, teachers, and students, but also interested community members; the PTSA meets in the CSIHS library, 6:30-8 pm.
The Chief Sealth International High School varsity football team is one of two with a Metro League-leading 4-0 record, after a win over previously undefeated Ingraham HS last night in the nightcap at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex. Above, We were there for the first half of the 33-7 win. Above, #3, senior Xavier Nguyen, a very busy runner last night; below, #12, junior MJ Filitaula, scored the Seahawks’ first TD:
Chief Sealth was ahead 10-7 at the half, and the defense kept Ingraham scoreless in the second half.
Head coach Daron Camacho‘s team plays Lakeside next Friday (October 4), again at home at NCSWAC, 6 pm.
Both local high-school teams played home games last night at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex. The first game was West Seattle High School‘s first victory this season, 31-7 over Lincoln HS.
We dropped in during the second half for photos. Scoring while we were there included, above, #13, junior LJ Moody, with a TD; below, #34, junior Scott Bremen, with a field goal:
Head coach Anthony Stordahl and the Wildcats play at Memorial Stadium downtown next Saturday, 2 pm October 5 vs. Franklin.
Another victory for West Seattle High School volleyball has them now leading the Metro League Mountain Division. Here’s the team’s report on tonight’s contest:
Tonight WS varsity volleyball beat Seattle Prep in five hard-fought sets. With our win tonight, WS varsity volleyball leads the Metro 3A Mountain division. Thanks to all the students and families that came out to cheer on the team. Our next home game is this Saturday afternoon at 2 pm against Eastside Catholic.
So far this season, the team is 4-0.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
If anyone in the overflow crowd at the West Seattle (Admiral) Library tonight was just there hoping to hear new information from West Seattle/South Park school board director Gina Topp about the “retooling” of Seattle Public Schools’ closure proposals, they went home disappointed.
“Anyone who watched [last week’s] board meeting knows as much as I do,” Topp insisted, when asked if the district was still trying to come up with a plan that would take effect at the start of next school year. “The timeline is very confusing … I’m not sure what to expect at our next meeting.” (That’s two weeks away, on October 9.) She said she could only speculate that superintendent Dr. Brent Jones had heard the uproar and was “readjusting for us.”
Topp’s meeting lasted only 45 minutes due to library policy about ending events 15 minutes before closing time (today happened to be the first day of the fall-season 6 pm closing time for this branch on Wednesdays). But she spent almost all of it listening. Most of the parents, teachers, and students who spoke identified themselves as affiliated with one of the West Seattle schools facing possible closure/changes in at least one of the two “options” the superintendent had originally announced – Louisa Boren STEM K-8, Sanislo Elementary, Lafayette Elementary, Pathfinder K-8.
(File photo from another organization’s flamingo-flock fundraiser)
We’re spotlighting another school fundraiser this morning: Bridge School Cooperative Elementary is raising money via flamingo flocking through the end of October.
Surprise your loved ones with a bright pink family of flamingos to decorate their yard or door.
Our flamingo wranglers (aka volunteers) will ensure a flock of pink flamingoes flies sneakily to the home of your friend, family member, or Bridge School buddy!
Send one, or send many!
The flamingo averse amongst us can even pay to protect their home from an invasion of flamingos (insurance) or have them sent on their way sooner than their usual migration pattern (early removal).
More details about how it works – plus the link for sending a flock – can be found here.
West Seattle High School has received a national honor from Special Olympics for its Unified Sports program (which brings together student athletes with and without disabilities). We received the announcement from WSHS’s Unified Sports coordinator Rachel Myers:
WSHS is being recognized as a Special Olympics National Banner Unified Champion School.
WSHS demonstrates their commitment to inclusion and shown determination in achieving the collective goal of creating a truly “Unified Generation” of young adults who embrace differences and lead social change! We could not have done this without the hard work and support of our alumni and current WSHS students and staff! We are excited and honored to join the 1,014 schools across the country and the FIRST SPS school to receive this level of recognition!
Here is the official letter from Special Olympics North America and Special Olympics International.
This is a HUGE accomplishment for our school, district, and community! We will be receiving a banner to celebrate this accomplishment at a ceremony in the Spring at WSHS!
Myers explains that “Schools that receive this recognition have demonstrated the commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community.”
Tomorrow, Seattle Public Schools was supposed to start a round of community meetings, including one in West Seattle on Wednesday, to talk about the recently announced school-closure proposals – for which most School Board directors had harsh words last week, at a meeting preceded by an anti-closure protest. Late today, the district sent families a new announcement: The meetings are canceled, announced superintendent Dr. Brent Jones, saying, “We are retooling our plans …’ Here’s his message in its entirety (thanks to the parent who forwarded it):
I am taking more time to reflect on plans to bring a consolidation recommendation this October. As a result, I am canceling the upcoming community meetings. A new schedule of engagement sessions will be released soon.
I understand the closure of schools is a very serious topic. After receiving thoughtful feedback from many of you, it is clear we need more time to carefully consider our next steps.
I am working closely with my leadership team to revise our strategy and ensure any decisions we make are sustainable and prioritize the well-being of our students, staff, and families, working together to meet our goals.
We will soon provide new opportunities for community engagement, focused on gathering your ideas and working together to resolve our challenges.
I want to assure you we are taking your concerns seriously. What we proposed last week were initial approaches, which we are now reworking. While our financial challenges are real and it’s our fiscal responsibility to resolve them, it is very clear we need more time to listen and earn your trust as we resolve our structural deficit and revisit our timeline.
I am sorry our proposed options created anxiety for many families who rely on the key programs and innovations within our schools. We are retooling our plans to address these concerns.
It is no secret we are facing tough times. We face a budget deficit that has gone on far too long. Over the past seven years alone, our enrollment has dropped by 4,000 students. Despite this, we still operate nearly the same number of school buildings, and we don’t expect enrollment numbers to rebound for many years. Like many school districts in Washington, the funding we receive from the state has failed to keep up with the costs of providing a quality education to Seattle’s students.
This has been a challenging time, especially the last few weeks, and our school system’s issues will take all of us to solve–in our city and in our legislature.
We stand committed to working alongside you throughout this process. We appreciate your partnership as we strive for equitable and thoughtful solutions that will strengthen the future of our schools and students.
West Seattle/South Park school-board director Gina Topp had moved her community-conversation meeting on Wednesday so as not to conflict with the district meeting. We’re checking with her to see if she’s sticking with the revised time for her meeting, and if she has any other comment.
One last back-to-school date on the calendar – tomorrow (Monday, September 23) is the start of the fall quarter at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor). It’s not too late to register for classes; you can see here what they’re offering. Notable for this quarter – it’s the first one for SSC’s new president Dr. Monica Brown, who started work in August. SSC serves about 15,000 students a year at its main campus on Puget Ridge (6000 16th SW) and satellite campus in Georgetown.
The 2024 Huling Bowl crosstown-competition football game is in the books, and this year at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex, Chief Sealth International High School is going home with the trophy. On Friday night, the Seahawks won the annual faceoff with West Seattle High School, 24-7. Often the pageantry and energy is more fun than the football; tonight, the stands were packed:
Chief Sealth, Friday night’s home team at NCSWAC – where both teams play their home games – ran onto the field through a “Best in the West” banner:
Sealth is home team (both play home games here) pic.twitter.com/9vfjWp7M0a
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) September 21, 2024
Both schools’ bands played, including a drumline battle:
As for the football, things were kind of slow in the first half. On Sealth’s first major drive, they had to settle for a field goal, kicked by #34, junior Ogi Petronijevic, with 5:49 left in the first quarter:
Wildcats’ #13, junior LJ Moody, had an impressive series of runs after that, but West Seattle’s move down the field ended with Sealth’s #21, junior Marshawn Tovia-Ford, sacking West Seattle’s #12, sophomore Desmond Parkinson. The Seahawks carried their momentum into the second quarter, with #23, junior Xander Gomez, scoring a touchdown at 9:00.
The kick was good and Sealth was up 10-0. Less than three minutes later, the Wildcats nabbed their only TD of the gae, by #23, senior Myles Mutchler.
#34, junior Scott Bremen, got the extra point, and that was the end of West Seattle’s scoring for the game. Their next drive was thwarted by a penalty – announced as offensive pass interference – that set them back to 1st and 25. After Sealth took over the ball a few minutes later, defensive pass interference was called. 10-7 was still the score at halftime. The Seahawks added two touchdowns in the faster-moving second half, #12, junior MJ Filitaula, at 5:13 in the third quarter:
In the fourth quarter, WSHS made some progress with 6-plus minutes to go, when a comeback from a 10-point deficit wouldn’t have been implausible, but then Sealth’s #21 intercepted a pass and ran in the last TD, late in the game:
Big change from last year’s down-to-the-wire WSHS victory. The victory brings Sealth this year’s bragging rights and custody of the trophy, walked out by athletic directors Ernest Policarpio of CSIHS and Corey Sorenson of WSHS:
The celebration afterward brought parents and fans to the sidelines for photo ops:
Winning coach Daron Camacho was all smiles:
Sightings earlier:
Above is a group of Sealth alums including members of the Huling family, for which the annual game is named (see our 2012 report for the backstory). Below, the schools’ principals, Ray Morales and Brian Vance:
NEXT GAMES: Both teams play at NCSWAC again next Friday night (September 27), but not against each other. West Seattle (0-3) plays Lincoln at 4:30 pm Friday; Chief Sealth (3-0) plays Ingraham at 7:30 pm.
(District video of Wednesday night’s board meeting)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Seattle Public Schools Board directors stopped short of telling Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones to throw out the two closure-plan options he unveiled last week and start over – but at times during their meeting tonight, that seemed like a possibility.
West Seattle/South Park director Gina Topp even tried to propose a resolution asking him to promptly draw up a third option that would close only a handful of schools, but she was ultimately dissuaded, with questions about whether that was appropriate without advance public notice.
The board’s mostly critical words about the “Well-Resourced Schools” plan, meant to shrink the SPS system in hopes of covering up to a third of a nearly $100 million budget gap, followed a presentation by district executives, primarily Dr. Jones and Dr. Marni Campbell, who’s in charge of the plan. (Here’s the slide deck, which also attempted to address some of the concerns/questions they said they’d been receiving.)
Chanting “keep schools open” and “fund our schools,” hundreds of people of all ages rallied outside Seattle Public Schools headquarters in SODO this afternoon, before the school board meeting with an update on the newly proposed school-closure options. The district faces a budget shortfall of almost $100 million, and is looking at closures to cover up to a third of that. Two of the West Seattle schools facing possible closure were amply represented in the crowd:
The “Option A“ proposal, which would close 21 schools citywide for an estimated savings of $31.5 million, would close Lafayette and Sanislo Elementaries and Boren STEM K-8, as well as changing Pathfinder from a K-8 option school to a regular elementary school. The “Option B“ proposal, which would close 17 schools for an estimated savingd of $25.5 million, would close Boren and Sanislo. The rally, organized by the All Together for Seattle Schools coalition, was intended to focus on two points – prevent closures, and enable that by convincing legislators to “amply” fund schools. Speakers included Lafayette parent Brooke Fox, contending – as did other speakers – that the closure plan would result in the opposite of the “well-resourced schools” district administrators say would remain:
Other speakers included former School Board director Vivian Song, who said she would vote against closures if she were still on the board, and 43rd Legislative District State House Rep. candidate Shaun Scott, who said legislators must fully fund education and could do so by closing “corporate loopholes.” After a few more speakers, many attendees went into the building for the board meeting, chanting as they entered:
As we publish this, the board meeting continues and they’re discussing the closure proposals. No vote scheduled tonight; next major development is regional community meeting, with West Seattle’s meeting set for 6:30 pm Wednesday, September 25, preceded by local board rep Gina Topp’s community meeting 5-6 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW). We’ll have a separate report later about tonight’s meeting. (Added: Find that here.)
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