Summary of SPS Engagement Efforts at Sacajawea, Nov 2024

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Our Sacajawea community has had several touchpoints with SPS officials and school board members in the past week.

  • On Thursday, Nov. 7th, SPS held an engagement session at Sacajawea.

  • After Thursday’s meeting, SPS asked our community to provide feedback and questions via their ThoughtExchange survey.

  • On Friday, School Board President Liza Rankin and School Board member Gina Topp visited Sacajawea. They toured the school with Principal Fisk, teacher Kara Golgert, and Sacajawea parent and BLT representative Julie Letchner.

  • Over the last two weeks, Faauu Manu, Director of Enrollment Planning for SPS, held several small group Q&A sessions at Sacajawea during the school day.

The remainder of this post summarizes these touchpoints and provides links to more relevant information.

SPS Engagement Session: Nov. 7th, 2024

On Thursday, November 7th, Seattle Public Schools held a community engagement session at Sacajawea to present their case for closures. Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones, joined by key district leaders, presented a preliminary recommendation to close Sacajawea Elementary and consolidate it with John Rogers. The district cited factors such as Sacajawea's aging facilities, low enrollment, and resource allocation challenges as driving forces behind the proposed closure. 

Although the presentation emphasized the potential benefits of consolidation, including a more modern learning environment and increased resources, many in attendance felt the district's messaging lacked transparency and did not address the community's specific concerns.

After the presentation, a Q&A session allowed community members to voice concerns about topics such as special education services, community cohesion, and financial transparency. During this session, many of the responses from district representatives came off as vague or incomplete, leading many in our community to be skeptical of their intentions. After the meeting, some district staff and School Board President Liza Rankin stayed after to continue informal discussions with parents. 

As SPS moves forward, a 30-day review period is open for community input, with a follow-up meeting and final decisions on the closure anticipated in early 2025.

To learn more about the meeting, including Q&A details, read our complete write-up of the meeting.

ThoughtExchange Feedback Survey

After the community meeting, SPS officials asked our community to provide feedback via a ThoughtExchange survey. This tool allowed our parents to offer unlimited short questions or thoughts (300 characters or less).

Our PTA team pulled the data from this survey–which was available after completing the survey–and found six main themes in the data.

  • Transparency and Trust in Decision-Making and Budget/Cost Estimates

  • Concerns Over Resource Allocation and Staffing at the Merged School

  • Equity and Support for High-Needs Populations (SPED, ELL)

  • Concerns Over Transportation and Safety

  • Concerns About Student Well-being and Social-Emotional Stability

  • Impact on Community and Neighborhood Cohesion

To read feedback from our community for these main themes, read our complete write-up of the ThoughtExchange survey.

Sacajawea Tour with School Board Members: Nov. 8th, 2024

From PTA Building Leadership Team rep, Julie Letchner:

“School board directors Gina Topp and Liza Rankin—the board president and the member who holds the board seat elected by Sac’s geo-zone—visited Sac on Friday for an hour-long tour. Principal Fisk and preschool teacher Kara Golgert co-led the tour. I was the only additional guest, representing the PTA. We visited the Pre-K portables; four homerooms, including Isaiah Swanson’s distinct classroom; and Mr. Ryan’s art room.

Along the way, Kara highlighted the facilities needs of the students in our pathways programs. Notably, many of these facilities requirements are met by the planned Sac redesign, but not by the new John Rogers building. Barry spoke with both directors in walking one-on-ones. I sprinkled in community perspectives throughout, emphasizing the frustrations of Thursday evening’s meeting, particularly regarding well-resourced staffing and the district’s silence about choosing closure vs. rebuilding.”

Small Group Sessions at Sacajawea with Faauu Manu

Faauu Manu, Director of Enrollment Planning for SPS, held several small group Q&A sessions at Sacajawea during the school day. These meetings occurred at Sacajawea during the weeks of Oct. 28th and Nov. 4th with very little notice given before each meeting (typically one day or less). We created this write-up using the notes provided by various parents who attended one or more sessions with Faauu.

During these sessions, parents raised concerns about the transition's impacts on students and families, with a focus on areas such as special education services, after-school care, transportation, staffing, and community diversity. While Faauu provided some responses, numerous questions remain open, contributing to parental concerns about communication and transparency from the district.

To learn more about these meetings, read our full write-up of the Faauu Manu meetings.