As Seattle considers school closures, superintendent gets new contract and a raise

As Seattle Public Schools mulls closures and other budget cuts, the School Board on Tuesday approved a new two-year contract — and a raise — for Superintendent Brent Jones.

Jones will earn a base salary of $348,395. That's about 4% more than his previous salary of $335,000 — the same cost of living increase other administrators at the district received, Board President Liza Rankin said.

Jones has led Seattle Public Schools since 2022, after serving as interim superintendent for a year and in other administrative roles with the district before that.

He's faced many challenges throughout his tenure leading Washington's largest public school system — including an ongoing budget crisis. The district currently faces a nearly $100 million budget gap next year, largely due to declining enrollment. On Tuesday, Jones pared down his previous proposal to close as many as 21 schools next fall to just five schools, and it’s still unclear if other cost-saving measures will be needed.

Jones is expected to name the five schools on the chopping block by the end of the month.

RELATED: Seattle Schools' proposed closures trimmed from 21 to just 5 schools after backlash

With the raise, Jones will still be making less than many of his peers in smaller neighboring districts. State salary data shows superintendents in Lake Washington, Renton, and Auburn made more than Jones during the 2022-23 fiscal year.

In a statement Tuesday, All Together for Seattle Schools, a grassroots community advocacy group, said many parents are "incredulous" that the board is granting Jones a raise in such dire financial times.

The group also criticized the board's handling of ongoing school-closure conversations.

RELATED: Seattle Public Schools cancels closure meetings, is revisiting plan

"We also reject any efforts by the Board to blame the Superintendent alone for the unpopularity of a school closure plan the Board has repeatedly called for, and has fully expected for months," they wrote.

"Instead, we believe this is a moment for all leaders at SPS to reflect on how they got here and their failure to anticipate the public's opposition to school closures and classroom-facing budget cuts."

RELATED: Seattle names 21 public schools to possibly close

In their statement, All Together for Seattle Schools also emphasized that "this matter is separate from, and we are not commenting on, the Superintendent's performance."

In documents posted ahead of Tuesday's meeting, board members said Jones came in after three decades of frequent superintendent turnover, and students will benefit from his "consistent and stable leadership."

Board members also credited Jones as a "strong leader for racial equity and educational justice," and said he'll "maintain focus on creating the conditions that support closing opportunity gaps for students furthest from educational justice" during his continued service as superintendent.

The new contract also removes language that gives Jones an automatic contract extension, unless the board votes not to extend his contract. Instead, the board will now have to formally vote in January to extend the agreement.

"I think that's a great step forward for us," Rankin said.

The new contract also aligns annual salary decisions with the board's July deadline for budget approval, and supports a new performance review process with quarterly check-ins.

At Tuesday's virtual meeting, Jones thanked the board for their continued commitment to his leadership. He also announced he plans to take five unpaid furlough days this year, similar to other administrators who have taken two.

"I want to do that in solidarity with the rest of the team here in central office, and others who will be asked to make sacrifices as well," Jones said. "But I'm grateful, and I'm ready to roll."