Sami West
Online Editor/Reporter
About
Sami West joined KUOW’s web team as an Online Editor/Reporter in 2025.
Before that, she spent over two years covering education at KUOW, reporting extensively on mounting financial challenges in Seattle Public Schools and districts across Washington state. Her coverage also focused on growing concerns about violence in and around schools, teacher shortages, the youth mental health crisis, and the countless ways Covid continues to affect schools and families, among other topics.
Previously, she wrote about education for Chalkbeat in Memphis, Tennessee, and two newspapers in Wisconsin.
A Midwesterner at heart, Sami originally hails from Minnesota and holds degrees in journalism and English from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Education Writers Association
Stories
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Washington state sues Trump administration for withholding funding to combat climate change
Washington state has filed another lawsuit against the Trump administration — this time for rescinding over $9 million in congressionally approved funds meant to help fight climate change.
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Seattle School Board to pick next superintendent in October
The Seattle School Board is now slated to pick the district's next superintendent by the end of October, according to a new timeline presented to the board on Wednesday.
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A Western Washington guide to the Aug. 5 primary election
Here's a roundup of what western Washington voters should know about the Aug. 5 ballot.
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When will Seattle Public Schools get its next superintendent? Not this fall
The Seattle School Board decided this week to extend the superintendent search to allow more time for community engagement and feedback.
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Hundreds of small earthquakes are hitting Mount Rainier. Geologists say they're not concerned
Swarms — or clusters of earthquakes that occur in the same area in quick succession — are relatively common on Mount Rainier.
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Woman charged in 2016 Clallam County murder, marking first big break for WA's Indigenous cold case unit
Two years after Washington state lawmakers created a unit to solve cold cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous people, the division has filed its first charges.
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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library survives WA funding cuts — for now
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program will stick around for at least one more year in Washington state.
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Washingtonians defrauded over $7 million by scammers posing as federal agencies
Local prosecutors are urging caution after 47 Washingtonians collectively lost over $7 million to scammers pretending to be trusted federal agencies.
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Seattle Public Schools lifts waitlists at popular schools after public outcry
Seattle Public Schools is letting more students into some of the district’s most popular option schools next fall, amid mounting pressure to change how it manages enrollment.
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Gender-inclusive policies spark federal investigation of Washington schools agency
The U.S. Department of Education has opened a broad investigation of the Washington state superintendent’s office over its gender-inclusive schools policies.