Seattle school year extended by 5 days because of snow

The last day of school will now be June 27 in Seattle — five days later than planned to make up for snow days this month.

In a message to families today, the district wrote: "The priority of the district is to provide high-quality instruction to all our students and ensure they are academically prepared. The decision to extend school was made with this goal in mind and in consultation with the Seattle Education Association."

The district had considered applying for a waiver from the state excusing it from making up some of the snow days. By state law, school must be in session for 180 days a year.

The teachers union texted its members this afternoon: "Our contract puts snow days at end of school year. If SPS waived days, staff would still need to work in order to be paid."

This means that even without the students in the building, teachers would still need to show up to work.

"While we recognize extending the school year may be challenging for some families, we also know that the amount of instructional time a student spends with their teacher is one of the most important factors in learning," the district wrote on its website.

The last day for 12th-graders will be June 20.