Seattle, WA
Seattle Public Schools official scraps plan to close schools
In a letter to parents, teachers and staff sent Monday, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Superintendent Brent Jones announced the school district will not close or consolidate schools for the 2025-26 academic year.
Jones wrote in his letter that he plans to withdraw his preliminary proposal to the Seattle School Board to close four schools.
In his letter, which has been republished in full on the Seattle’s Child website, Jones noted the Seattle School Board had directed him to come up with a plan for closures and consolidations to “address enrollment declines, budgetary challenges, stabilizing programs and services.” Jones and the district will not move in that direction.
“After much deliberation, reflection, and engagement with our community, it is clear there is no longer a pathway for this approach for the 2025-26 school year,” Jones wrote. “I am withdrawing my preliminary recommendation, and we will not pursue school closures and consolidations for the upcoming school year. The Board will vote Tuesday to formally approve this direction.”
Jones explained this latest decision “was not made lightly and reflects the Board and my shared priority: the needs and well-being of our students, families, and community.” The decision allows those involved look at the situation more and “thoughtfully determine” the next steps.
“The projected $5.5 million savings from the proposed closures are significant,” Jones wrote. “However, we agree that achieving these savings should not come at the cost of dividing our community.”
The superintendent went on to state in the letter the district will address the budget shortfall that exists through “legislative and levy renewal advocacy, as well as pursuing operational efficiencies aligned with our shared values and priorities.”
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Why the Seattle School Board considered closing schools
Earlier this year, SPS stated it is contending with a $104 million budget shortfall. Therefore, the district came up with two different options earlier this fall to close the gap in funds.
The first option is to operate 52 attendance-area elementary schools, closing 21 elementary and K-8 schools. This option would have saved SPS 31.5 million.
In the second option, the district would operate 56 schools, including attendance-area elementary and one K-8 school per region, closing 17 schools. This second option would have saved SPS $25.5 million.
“Many of our schools are struggling to provide the resources our students deserve,” the district wrote in a statement at that time. “To address this, we are working to ensure our schools are the right size and have the resources needed for preschool through 5th-grade students to succeed.”
As the fall went on, SPS plan went from as many as 21 schools closing all the way down to four closing and consolidating with four others. Four schools — one each in the Northwest Northeast, Central and Southwest regions — were announced as the places of learning set to shut down. They were announced as the following:
- North Beach Elementary, consolidating with Viewlands Elementary at Viewlands.
- Sacajawea Elementary, consolidating with John Rogers Elementary at John Rogers.
- Stevens Elementary, consolidating with Montlake Elementary at Montlake.
- Sansilo Elementary, consolidating with Highland Park Elementary at Highland Park.
“We understand this change is difficult,” SPS stated on its website at the time. “We chose these schools based on factors like building condition, space, and the goal of minimizing disruption to students and families.”
Protests from parents within the district soon followed, including one late last month outside Sacajawea Elementary.
All four of Joshua Newman’s children attended or are currently enrolled at Sacajawea. He said both state and district school leaders need to balance their budgets better.
“The district needs to look at its own operations and its own administrative costs and not lay the burden on where, frankly, the value is actually added and that’s the teachers, and by the individual principals and staff who are involved in the kids’ lives,” Newman said to KIRO Newsradio.
Rachel Kubiak and her child showed up at the rally as well. They illustrated how closing the school would close a part of their community and their lives.
“We’re really sad. When we heard the news, I was texting with my husband and just — I’m crushed,” she said to KIRO 7.
From left, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones, Ph.D., and Seattle School Board President Liza Rankin are seen in recent images. (Photos courtesy of Seattle Public Schools)
Last week, Jones shared a key update about the potential school closures, explaining the district was canceling prescheduled community meetings at the schools set to close.
“We are doing so as the board has decided to delay the December closure and consolidation hearings, in part based on important input from families that we all value,” Jones wrote in his statement available on SPS’ website. “As a result, I am considering withdrawing my earlier recommendations for closure and consolidation.”
Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest; Luke Duecy, KIRO Newsradio
Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.
CHICAGO (AP) — The struggling New York Mets placed former Seattle Mariners second baseman/designated hitter Jorge Polanco on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a right wrist contusion.
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The move was made retroactive to Wednesday, a day after Polanco went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in a 2-1 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 32-year-old Polanco is batting .179 (10 for 56) with a homer and two RBIs in his first season with New York, which has lost nine straight.
“When doctors first took a look at him, it looked like he got hit by a pitch when he didn’t,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “In talking to him, it was just a couple of swings that he took that night. … He didn’t think much of it, but just got worse the following day.
“So you just got to let it calm down a little bit and then we’ll go from there. But we don’t have a timetable for how long this is going to last.”
Polanco, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Mets in December, also has been dealing with an ankle issue.
“He was trending in the right direction,” Mendoza said of the ankle injury. “It’s definitely going to help, obviously now with him being shut down. But the biggest thing now is that we’ve got to take care of that wrist.”
Polanco spent the previous two seasons with the Mariners, who acquired him in a February 2024 trade with the Minnesota Twins.
Polanco struggled during his first season with Seattle in 2024, hitting just .213 with 16 homers in 118 games while playing through a knee injury that didn’t become public knowledge until after the season.
But after the Mariners somewhat surprisingly brought him back for a one-year contract in 2025, Polanco rebounded to hit .265 with 26 homers and an .821 OPS in 138 games last season. He then added three homers during Seattle’s playoff run, along with a 15th-inning walkoff single in Game 5 of the American League Division Series that sent the Mariners to their first ALCS in 24 years.
Seattle Sports staff made additions to this post.
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Seattle, WA
Brandon Nimmo hits leadoff homer, Jacob deGrom works 4 scoreless as Rangers beat Seattle Mariners 5-0
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – APRIL 17: Corey Seager #5 of the Texas Rangers tags out Dominic Canzone #8 of the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park on April 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – Brandon Nimmo hit a leadoff home run, Jacob deGrom threw four shutout innings and Gavin Collyer earned his first career win as the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Friday night.
Seattle lost its fourth straight game, and was shut out for the fourth time in 21 games, falling to 8-13. The Mariners were shut out six times during the 2025 season. Texas won its third straight game.
Nimmo led off the game with a 372-foot shot to right field off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (1-3). It was Nimmo’s 16th career leadoff homer and second of the season. He also hit a leadoff home run on April 11 in a 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
DeGrom effectively maneuvered through Seattle’s lineup, and worked out of a one out, bases-loaded jam in the first inning. The two-time Cy Young Award winner recorded two of his three strikeouts after walking Josh Naylor to load the bases. Randy Arozarena fanned on a curveball, and Luke Raley swung through a fastball.
Texas added to its lead after Nimmo’s homer. Wyatt Langford’s single to left scored Corey Seager, who led off the third inning with a double. The Rangers stretched the lead to 3-0 on an RBI single from Jake Burger in the seventh.
The Mariners’ best scoring chance came in the sixth after Collyer (1-0), who worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings, left the game.
J.P. Crawford singled to left off Tyler Alexander with two out, and Mariners third base coach Carlos Cardoza sent Naylor from second base, but he was thrown out by Langford.
Texas added two more runs in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Andrew McCutchen and an RBI double by Josh Jung.
Seattle third baseman Brendan Donovan left the game early due to a left hip issue.
Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller, who started the year on the injured list with a left oblique injury, was at T-Mobile Park for the first time this season. He will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.
Up next
Mariners RHP George Kirby (2-2, 3.25) will face Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, 5.40) on Saturday afternoon.
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FIFE, Wash. – A portion of southbound I-5 will be closed overnight in Fife Friday and Saturday night, according to WSDOT.
The Washington State Department of Transportation says the purpose of the closure is to install a new electronic sign and will need two nights to do it.
Crews will close southbound I-5 from 54th Avenue to Port of Tacoma Road starting at 11 p.m. Friday night until 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Closures will resume Saturday night starting at 11 p.m. as well, and lanes will reopen Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m.
WSDOT says the closure will include the 54th Avenue ramps to southbound I-5.
Detours for weekend I-5 closure in Fife, WA
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The Source: Information in this story comes from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
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