Back to Dec08 Newsletter
Back to CPPS Home

CPPS Position on Capacity Management

In this time of economic downturn and weakened state support for our schools, the realities for the Seattle School District are harsh. As Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson and her staff attempt to prepare for another significant revenue shortfall, we are bombarded with data, rationalizations, partial solutions, and undesirable choices. At the same time, the parents and community members behind Seattle Public Schools have been girding themselves to fight for what we all really want: quality schools for kids in all neighborhoods across our city.

The unfortunate effect of centrally-proposed cuts and closures is to pit communities against one another for scarce resources. In this climate, it is crucial that parents stand up for clear educational and community outcomes. The ongoing success of our public schools depends on the choices SPS makes today. CPPS urges both the district and parents to keep the focus on students.

It is clear from the flurry of district, school-based, and community meetings that there is strong support for our schools. We've been told to expect a new student assignment plan that renews emphasis on giving students and families educational excellence near where they live. But the assignment plan details have yet to be worked out, and without them, the current closure proposal muddies the waters. In central Seattle, the number of buildings to be shuttered, combined with the number and distribution of limited access, all-city alternatives, leaves residents without sufficient access to neighborhood options. In the southern part of the city, too many large high school buildings disconnected from the support of local residents presents a non-sustainable situation and another mismatch between community needs and district solutions. The distribution issue we pointed to in our November Seattle P-I Op Ed remains, while our communities are increasingly confused by the rationales given and the closure decision process, despite commendable efforts at engaging parents in developing ideas.

It is time again for the superintendent and her staff to reassure parents, this time with some specifics, that the school closure plan is part of her plan for student achievement and community success. What kind of "quality neighborhood schools" does the district want? How will we know, in terms of outcomes, that current plans are leading in that direction? The District needs to do a better job of communicating it's goals. Here's what we know for sure:

(a) We know from past closures that we'll lose people from the system if the recommendation decision and transition plans are handled poorly;
(b) The state of the economy presents an opportunity for get more people coming into or back to public schools; but
(c) The repeated cycles of closure have people wondering about the on-going stability of Seattle Public Schools;

We should not forget that enrollment is the primary source of funding for the district. We need to have a system that runs efficiently, but leaves sufficient space for growth and change. Because of the serious impact on children and neighborhoods, it is absolutely crucial that there be a clear tie to the longer term plan so we know whether or not we are making the correct short-term "capacity management" decisions. Right now, there are key missing details from "Excellence for All" and too many decisions that seem to be short-term optimizations. We have to switch to the focus to academic outcomes based on specific strategies. We've heard so many parents lament all the things we should do have done better to avoid getting to this point in the first place... if you're upset about closure, then join CPPS and help make sure we avoid the problems next time!

Back to Dec08 Newsletter