Sami West
Education Reporter
About
Sami West is a reporter covering schools in Seattle and across the Puget Sound region. She’s been on the education beat for over five 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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When will Seattle get two new school board members?
The Seattle School Board has laid out the next steps for filling two empty board seats, and will consider changes to its residency policy next month.
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Curriculum about fentanyl, other opioids could come to WA junior high classrooms
Washington state's opioid death toll is climbing faster than anywhere else in the country, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's why schools may soon be required to teach students about the risks.
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As WA schools lose more special education teachers, help comes from within
Fed up with persistent special education teacher shortages, a group of Washington teachers is trying a new approach to building up this workforce.
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Banning books in Washington state schools could get harder if bill passes
Efforts to ban books across the country reached an all-time high in 2022, according to the American Library Association. Now, some Washington lawmakers are trying to prevent more bans here.
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Seattle School Board vacancies draw more than a dozen applicants
Fifteen people have thrown their hats in the ring for the two open spots on the Seattle School Board.
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Measure would clear the way for Washington high schoolers to get an even earlier jump on college
A bill to allow incoming 11th graders to take summer college courses is headed to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk.
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Seattle School Board narrows candidate field for open seats
The Seattle School Board is getting closer to replacing two board members, who stepped down last month amid questions about their residency.
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School budget shortfalls mean hard choices for Seattle area districts
Schools around the region are dealing with serious budget shortfalls. The Northshore School District says it’s $26 million in the red, and Seattle Public Schools is reporting a more than $100 million gap in funding. Making up that money is no easy task – and in many cases, the scarcity means cuts to programs students and parents hold dear, like AP and music classes.
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Is Seattle headed toward preschool for all? Another expansion announced for 2024-25
The Seattle Preschool Program will serve nearly 2,500 children next school year, thanks to a 16-classroom expansion that will create 279 additional slots.
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Seattle Public Schools' latest budget proposal: Tapping into reserves, changing school start times
Seattle Public Schools might dip into its reserves for a second year in a row — and borrow money from other district funding pots — to cover the majority of a projected $105 million budget gap next year.
