Sami West
Education Reporter
About
Sami West is a reporter covering schools in Seattle and throughout the Puget Sound region. She’s been on the education beat for over six years and has reported extensively on the countless ways COVID has impacted schools, students, and families. Her coverage has also focused on school finances, special education issues, the importance of early childhood education, and the growing youth mental health crisis.
Before joining KUOW in 2023, 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.
When she’s not attending school board meetings or chasing other education news, Sami enjoys exploring the beautiful trails and abundant breweries of the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dog.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Education Writers Association
Stories
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With school cutbacks in the air, Seattle parents embrace neighborhood schools
As several Seattle schools faced the threat of closure this past year, KUOW decided to look at the role schools play in a neighborhood, and the sometimes hidden ways they knit together a community.
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'We are at a crisis.’ Seattle Eastside schools call for increased state funding
The legislative session kicks off next week, and school districts statewide are pushing for a boost in funding. Five districts on Seattle's Eastside joined forces this week to bring their issues to lawmakers.
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A troubling trend. Seattle reports another 20% increase in homeless students
More than 2,200 Seattle public school students say they are or have been homeless since the school year began. That's a nearly 20% increase from last year, when the district recorded a more than 30% jump.
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What Trump's second term could mean for education in Washington state
President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House has raised a lot of questions about how policies he’s pushed could affect public education.
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Free online therapy for teens and young adults is coming to Seattle
City leaders announced a new partnership with Talkspace, an online behavioral health care company, on Tuesday. Those services are now available across Seattle, free of charge to anyone between the ages of 13 and 24.
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Cornish and Seattle U announce plans to merge as higher ed storm looms
Two of Seattle's private colleges are merging — Seattle University and Cornish College of the Arts.
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Seattle Public Schools' budget woes continue
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Judge throws out attempted recall of Seattle School Board president
A King County Superior Court judge on Monday dismissed the attempted recall of Seattle School Board President Liza Rankin.
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Seattle Public Schools drops contentious closure plan following months of waffling amid backlash
Seattle Public Schools’ plan to shutter four schools next fall is dead — at least for now.
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Seattle may not close elementary schools, after all
In a stunning reversal, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones said Tuesday he may not recommend closing schools, after all.
