September 12, 2024
Re: Well-Resourced Schools Planning and Recommendations
SEATTLE- In light of school closure options, the Southeast Seattle Education Coalition (SESEC) continues our commitment to serving those furthest from educational justice.
As this process continues, SESEC will convene and connect community partners to ensure Southeast community voice is part of the ongoing conversation. Understanding that inequities already exist in our current education system, we will work to authentically engage and elevate those experiences. School closures will not be felt the same across the city and in Southeast Seattle, additional reinforcement and support will be an ongoing necessity. It is important to center and uplift BIPOC voices in the discussion and media coverage around school closures, as our communities will be disproportionately impacted by the consolidations.
Both Options A and B will have lasting implications for our community. Understanding that declining enrollment is at the front of this budget deficit issue, the prospective plans must also include details on the process by which school communities will come together for both scenarios. Additional information will be needed on: transportation plans, communications to all enrolled families as well as future SPS families, messaging to students, support to school administrators, and many other details.
Under Option A, the Southeast Seattle impacted schools include Orca K-8, Graham Hill, Dunlap, and Rainier View. South Shore PreK-8 would become an attendance area K-5 school. Under Option B, impacted southeast Seattle Schools include Orca K-8, Graham Hill, and Rainier View.
SE Seattle schools enroll a disproportionate share of Seattle’s students of color. In the Southeast, 49% of SE Seattle public schools are designated Title I (high poverty) – a legacy of redlining and other racist practices. In the 2023-24 academic year, 74% are students of color, 55% are low-income and 28% are English Language Learners.
SESEC is a coalition of representatives from local community-based organizations (CBOs), families, school administrations, government agencies, and concerned SE Seattle residents. For 12 years, we have been convening to advocate and strategize for an equitable education system. Representing a rich cultural and linguistically diverse district, we work on behalf of over 9,700 students in 22 Seattle Public Schools.
Available for interview:
Liz Huizar
Executive Director, Southeast Seattle Education Coalition
951-329-2355
[email protected]
Emily Locke
BIPOC Parent at Graham Hill Elementary and Alki Middle School
206-330-8497
Sofia Voz
Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (DEIA) at Goalbook, Board Chair of SESEC, Parent at Rising Star
208-964-4293
Rebekah Binns
Parent at Graham Hill, former SPS Teacher
503-347-8542
Sala Sataraka
Parent at Kimball Elementary School
[email protected]
###