<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3Uw1SV_1H454uRN00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3Uw1SV_1H454uRN00" width="1200" height="1114" ></figure>Seattle Public Schools is beginning to talk about merging elementary schools for next fall, sparking nerves and concerns from families and staff.On Sunday, Oct. 25, SPS Superintendent Ben Shuldiner laid out the district’s approach in a newsletter to families, writing that, at some schools, students were struggling in their split-grade classes and open-air classrooms.Two years ago, the district unveiled a plan to close 24 schools, which sparked immediate community backlash. This year, some families feel the district is slow-rolling them, withholding or delaying information concerning where their child will go to school next year.As of press time, firm plans concerning attendance boundary changes or staffing logistics have yet to be shared by the district, which stresses that nothing has been set in stone and that right now, merger talks remain in very early stages.THE LIST:The following schools are being considered to merge. The school on the left is generally the one closing. Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said that the district is not considering closing schools not on this list and “will not in the near future.”<ul><li>Licton Springs K-8 School → Salmon Bay K-8 School</li><li>Sacajawea Elementary School → John Rogers Elementary School</li><li>Rainier View Elementary School → Rising Star Elementary School</li><li>John Hay Elementary School → Queen Anne Elementary School</li><li>Stevens Elementary School → Montlake Elementary School</li><li>Orca K-8 School → Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School and Mercer Middle School</li><li>Decatur Elementary School → View Ridge Elementary School</li><li>Sanislo Elementary School → Highland Park Elementary School</li><li>Sand Point Elementary School→ Laurelhurst Elementary School</li><li>Cedar Park Elementary School → James Baldwin Elementary School</li></ul>Pursuant to state law and district policy, the superintendent must present a preliminary closure plan that contains the closure criteria, any demographic impacts, and how the closure will affect long-term facility use. The plan must be considered by the public for at least 30 days, after which a public hearing will be held. The superintendent would then bring a final plan to the School Board, which would need to be reviewed by the public for at least another 14 days, discussed at a public hearing, and finally voted on by the board.Shuldiner expects board action in late February or early March.Joint staff meetings will be completed by mid-November, and family meetings are planned for November and December, all at the receiving school. Shuldiner announced that the district is focused on meeting with those most affected by the merger first and will work their way out to the general public.Doubt has risen among parents and community members that the closures might hurt educational and social conditions by tearing communities apart.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4HXHY5_1H454uRN00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4HXHY5_1H454uRN00" width="2001" height="1502" ><figcaption>Stevens Elementary may merge with Montlake Elementary in fall 2027. (Rafael Brewer/The Garfield Messenger)</figcaption></figure>Stevens Elementary, in Capitol Hill, is set to be merged with Montlake Elementary, less than a mile away. Parents, staff, and alumni say they are frustrated by the announcement, but not surprised, and some are even a little relieved.“The school enrollment went down so much after I left and if it’s not sustainable for the district to keep it open anymore, I guess it’s best to close it,” Garfield senior Saul Harris said. “A lot of people who went to Stevens, we’re still tight-knit and we all know each other, so I feel like a lot of people are going to be sad about the closure.”Kris Myllenbeck, co-president of the Stevens Parent Teacher Association (PTA), said, “We’ve known we were on the list, and we know we’re the smallest, and we feel the pain of being too small, and we’ve been reaching to the district and trying to partner about relooking at our size. So it’s a mix of not surprised, but a mix of, ‘Huh, interesting solution to our enrollment issue.’”During the 2013-14 school year, Stevens had over 400 students, according to state enrollment data. In November 2013, the school board drastically cut the size of the school’s attendance area, and maps haven’t been updated since. Enrollment has steadily declined since then; this school year, Stevens has just 112 students.The news in 2024 that Stevens was set to be closed was “a bit of a punch to the gut because it was an enrollment decision that was created by the district. It wasn’t like everyone just went running from Stevens,” Myllenbeck said.Myllenbeck and fellow PTA co-president Chana Greene admitted that students will probably get a better education at a combined Montlake/Stevens school, but worried about the impact the merger would have on the school’s financially vulnerable kids. Over a third of Stevens students are signed up to receive free and reduced lunch, and most of them are clustered in the southern part of the school’s attendance area and thus would have to travel further to get to Montlake, Greene said.“It would be something we would be committed to working with if a merger goes through to make sure our most disadvantaged students find a place that’s welcoming for them there,” Greene said.Stevens administrative secretary Devlyn Habib said it was “disheartening” to hear about the proposed merger, and that, besides inviting staff to a joint meeting at Montlake in mid-November, the district had been “tight-lipped” about the details, especially concerning staffing.“I am definitely worried about losing my job,” Habib said. “A lot of us [Stevens faculty] are definitely unsure and very concerned for the longevity of our positions and, frankly, our careers.”Jobs tied to student enrollment, like homeroom teachers, are less likely to be affected than non-teaching ones. It doesn’t make sense to have two principals at one school, for example.The head of the Seattle Education Association (SEA), SPS’ educators union, wrote that the organization supported its members and was ensuring that members of its leadership were present at school merger meetings.“We want to ensure that our members feel they are being heard as the possible school merger discussions are happening,” wrote SEA President Ibi Idowu via text.Rainey Hartford Swan, the executive director of the Principals Association of Seattle Schools (PASS) — the employee organization that represents SPS principals and assistant principals — did not respond to a request for comment. PASS Secretary Nancy Carroll declined to comment.A large part of basic public education is a clean and safe environment. Shuldiner hopes that transferring students from dilapidated to newly renovated and more fully resourced buildings will increase student outcomes.Montlake was recently renovated, and reopened in September 2025. It now accommodates up to 500 students and features amenities like energy-saving systems and nicer classrooms throughout the school.Stevens’ third graders rank above district average in their ELA test scores at 82.4% proficiency. Montlake comes in at 73.3%. Greene and Myllenbeck, the PTA co-presidents, worry about the impact a merger, and the resulting larger school, could have on the school’s academic culture.“Bigger is not necessarily better,” Greene said.</div></body>

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Seattle Public Schools is beginning to talk about merging elementary schools for next fall, sparking nerves and concerns from families and staff. On Sunday, Oct. 25, SPS Superintendent Ben Shuldiner laid out the district’s approach in a newsletter to families, writing that, at some schools, students were struggling in their split-grade classes and open-air classrooms.

District Considers Closing Schools, Again

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Seattle Public Schools is beginning to talk about merging elementary schools for next fall, sparking nerves and concerns from families and staff. On Sunday

District Considers Closing Schools, Again

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