Op-Ed: Seattle Public Schools Enrollment Practices Starve Schools and Harm Students

Last fall’s victory against school closures in Seattle was just the beginning of a larger fight for the future of public education. This massive overhaul would have displaced thousands of students, eliminated vital programs, and disrupted special education services—without even denting our budget issues. That’s why we stood with parents against it, and we, as a community, won. In November, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Superintendent Jones withdrew the closure plan.

But we’re not out of the woods. At the most recent board meeting, district staff detailed current enrollment practices that assign teachers to schools before students, keeping families on waitlists even when space exists at their preferred schools. The stories reaching us through public comment, emails, and community meetings are devastating: CODA children (Children of Deaf Adults) unable to attend TOPS, a K-8 school with a deaf and hard of hearing program; children of color who qualify for Highly Capable programs denied access to established programs, an experience so traumatizing that parents are leaving SPS rather than endure continued harm; newcomer students waitlisted for dual language programs in their native language; and siblings separated despite available space.

These aren’t isolated incidents or misunderstandings. According to the district’s own presentation, these enrollment practices are by design. Despite long waitlists and available space, SPS denies enrollment to high-demand programs, even when there’s room, because they’ve chosen to assign teachers before finalizing student placement. Administrators claim they’re balancing staffing and neighborhood enrollment, but it’s increasingly clear some want these option schools eliminated entirely.

The outcome? Frustration, harm, and inequity. Families follow SPS’s process: they apply on time, their chosen school has space, and yet without explanation, their children remain stuck on waitlists that never move.

Many of these frustrated families are simply opting out and unenrolling. SPS data shows the number of students not getting their choice school and then leaving the district has more than doubled last year. When students leave, state funding leaves with them, causing cascading budget challenges and program shortages for remaining students.

Using enrollment to starve these schools is fiscally irresponsible, harms our children and communities, and disproportionately hurts the very students our mission claims to prioritize. These decisions drive students away and worsen our financial situation. After fighting proposed school closures, it’s shocking that we’re losing an elementary school’s worth of students each year because we’re putting adult needs ahead of children and refusing to enroll students in schools with available space.

Based on calculations from the presentation, SPS is forgoing nearly $12 million annually in lost enrollment. Remember those school closures? Each closure was estimated to save about $1.5 million per year. Why were we ever discussing closures when the district knew it was leaving eight times that amount on the table by ignoring families’ choices?

SPS has very real equity issues — 2024 needs assessment data showed that 30-40% of our lowest income students have been chronically underserved for decades. District data reveals that the highest density of 2024 choice applications came from Southeast Seattle, showing strong desire in that community for options within the public system. It is deeply inequitable to limit school choice based on zip codes, parent income, or convenience. The right way to address equity is not by reducing choices and starving popular programs that meet important needs. This problem demands creative, collective solutions. Eliminating dual language, exploratory learning, K-8, advanced math, and Highly Capable programs contradicts SPS values and isn’t real equity. True equity means expanding access to quality programs for historically disadvantaged students, not eliminating them.

Seattle families agree on what needs to be done. Beyond what we hear at every board meeting and school visit, polling shows 63% of Seattle voters want more educational options across the district — not fewer.

Solving these problems will take time, but we must honor the commitments we’ve made to students and families now.

As school board directors, we have both a fiduciary duty to challenge policies that force students out and a moral obligation to demand transparency. We commit to fighting these inequitable enrollment practices, insisting on clear disaggregated waitlist data and honest explanations. But we can’t do this alone. We stood together to stop school closures last fall, and we need to continue that momentum. We’re deeply grateful to the parents, teachers, and community members whose advocacy has already made a difference.

The district held a community engagement session on May 7th to hear from families about enrollment practices. Parents from across the district came out to share their frustrations. If you believe the current practices are inequitable and unacceptable, as we do, please continue to make your voice heard. The board will hear recommendations from staff at our Regular Meeting on May 14th. Your advocacy matters, and we are listening: together we can create the thriving, equitable, and diverse public schools that Seattle’s children deserve.

After Outcry, Seattle Public Schools Backpedals on Closures – For Now