Seattle school leaders face tough budget decisions as deadline approaches

Seattle’s contentious school budget season is coming to a close on July 6, when the school board is scheduled to vote on a fiscal plan that will close a $131 million gap.

At a school board meeting Wednesday, students, parents, and teachers put in last-ditch efforts to save programs and positions on the chopping block.

Tyler Dupuis, a kindergarten teacher at Orca K-8 School, read from a letter by school staff and the parent-teacher association, calling on the district to reverse cuts to middle school teaching staff and the elimination of the assistant principal position.

“If these cuts do follow through, carryover effects would mean much larger class sizes and fewer, if any, elective options for students,” Dupuis told the board. “There are creative ways we can design the schedule to mitigate these effects, but we believe the students we teach deserve more than mitigation.”

Dupuis also said the cuts are inequitable, given the school mostly serves students of color. A centerpiece of the district’s strategic plan is becoming an anti-racist educational system.

Other speakers at the meeting raised similar concerns about staffing in schools across the district.

A group of 12 students, parents, and teachers protested the elimination of Franklin High School’s mock trial class.

Pauline Adonis has participated in the program for three years, and said it has “served as a space for marginalized students to feel supported by a strong, established community centered in the conversation of justice, law, and advocacy.”

“With the future of Franklin mock trial in jeopardy, we risk losing future lawyers, policymakers, and school board members who add much needed representation for the most marginalized — yet resilient — communities,” Adonis said.

A team of Franklin students won the National High School Mock Trial Championship in 2018. As of Wednesday, a petition to save the mock-trial program had more than 700 signatures and 200 testimonials, said Peter Heineccius, a coach for the team.

In recent weeks, district staff and community members have urged the board not to cut back on elementary school counselors. And in April, students and parents protested the gutting of Washington Middle School’s award-winning music program.

Last month, the school board approved a plan to stabilize the district’s precarious financial situation.

The plan included nearly $32 million in cuts from the central office and about $10 million from staff and programs at the school level. It also calls for the district to pull about $42 million from a rainy day fund.

In total, the district's proposed budget is $1.17 billion for next school year. Nearly 60% of the spending is designated for teachers' salaries, curriculum, and other classroom materials.