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Seattle Public Schools Begins Talks on Potential School Mergers
District leaders say mergers may ease staffing gaps and uneven facilities as enrollment falls from more than 94,000 students in 1964 to under 50,000 today.
- Superintendent Ben Shuldiner announced on Sunday that Seattle Public Schools is initiating merger discussions after enrollment dropped below 50,000 students, citing declining enrollment and persistent budget challenges.
- Facing an $87 million budget deficit, the district's student population fell from more than 94,000 in 1964 to under 50,000 today, creating disparities in building conditions and staffing across schools.
- Shuldiner described "forced split classes" and students learning in buildings without interior walls, writing, "I don't want students to spend one more year in a building where bookcases serve as walls."
- Principals began notifying families last Friday about potential mergers, launching a months-long process of community hearings concluding with Seattle School Board action in late February or early March.
- The district pledged that all staff from closing schools will transfer to receiving campuses and remain employed for at least one school year, while Shuldiner promised to extend the transfer application window one week after the board's final decision.
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Seattle Public Schools considers closing, merging schools - The Daily Chronicle
Seattle Public Schools is once again considering closing schools and merging them with others as the district faces declining student enrollment and budget issues. Superintendent Ben Shuldiner announced the plan — framing it as a series of mergers" rather than "closures" — in his weekly newsletter to families Sunday. He said discussions about which schools will close and which schools will receive new students will be a monthslong process. After…
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Total News Sources12
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution63% Center
Bias Distribution
- 63% of the sources are Center
63% Center
L 25%
C 63%
12%
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