Seattle Public Schools closes deficit, approves budget

SEATTLE — Seattle Public Schools adopted a $1.3 billion budget for the 2024-25 school year on Wednesday, more than six months after it embarked on efforts to close a $104 million to $111 million deficit.

To do so, SPS is using a few one-time measures, including taking out a $27.5 million loan — a lower amount than officials initially suggested — from its capital fund. The loan has to be repaid by June 2026.

Teaching and activities related to it — including teacher salaries — account for about 61 percent of the budget, slightly more than the district spent this school year. Spending on staff at the district’s central administrative office — who will have two furlough days next school year — makes up a smaller portion of next year’s budget, just under 6 percent.

While the district said it wanted to reduce the impact of budget cuts on local schools, some schools will have smaller budget allocations — meaning they will need to reduce staff by eliminating positions or moving positions from full-time to part-time. The changes will vary by school.

Districtwide, the student-to-teacher ratios in grades 6 through 12 will also increase from 30:1 to 31:1.

As expected, there’s no federal stimulus aid in this year’s spending plan, which many districts had relied on the last few years to help stabilize their budgets. An estimated 63 percent of the budget comes from state sources, 16 percent from local taxes and 7 percent from federal sources. Special education instruction, at about $273 million, accounts for 21.8 percent of the district’s spending — more than last year, according to the budget document.

On the revenue-generating side, SPS will charge an athletics fee of $200 per sport, which it hopes will raise about $1.1 million if 75 percent of eligible students paid. The fee would be voluntary and capped at $400.