Parents File Complaint Against Seattle Public Schools for Mismanaging Waitlists, Blocking Access to Option Schools

Waitlist mismanagement turned away over 800 potential students from K-5 and K-8 option schools, worsening budget shortfall

Seattle Student Options Coalition seeks remedy for open enrollment period beginning February 1

SEATTLE — January 21, 2025 — The Seattle Student Options Coalition, a group of local families, has filed a formal complaint against Seattle Public Schools (SPS) after the District refused to enroll more than 800 students from waitlists, despite having sufficient capacity in both staffing and school facilities. This failure to enroll students led to cutbacks in teaching positions, reduced resources for students, and contributed to some families leaving SPS entirely—exacerbating the District’s financial challenges.

In their complaint, filed on December 5, 2024, parents are calling for an investigation into the District’s mishandling of the student assignment process. Evidence suggests SPS is actively limiting access to option schools—many of which the District proposed closing in 2024 as part of its failed efforts to address budget shortfalls. This mismanagement not only undermines the schools’ viability but also contradicts the District’s stated goals of stabilizing enrollment and finances, particularly at a time when SPS is concerned about declining student numbers.

“The District’s failure to properly manage school waitlists has not only turned away over 800 students from schools of their choice, but it has also undermined the vital programs that option schools provide to the broader community. By limiting enrollment and therefore budgets, this mismanagement directly contradicts the District’s stated goal of stabilizing enrollment and finances. On behalf of the families affected, we are demanding that SPS be held accountable for its actions,” said Gregory Goldstein, a parent from Louisa Boren STEM K-8 and member of the Seattle Student Options Coalition.

SPS’s mismanagement of waitlists between April and August 2024 resulted in over 800 potential students being turned away from their preferred K-5 and K-8 schools, despite these schools having the capacity—both in staffing and facilities—to accommodate them. Parents argue this failure reflects a lack of commitment by SPS to both grow enrollment and fairly support all schools in the District. As the District grapples with a $94 million budget deficit, it desperately needs to increase enrollment to secure more funding. Yet, by mishandling waitlists, SPS is driving families to leave the District altogether, ultimately missing a critical opportunity to strengthen its finances.

“Seattle’s school funding is allocated on a per-student basis, and with the second-highest rate of private school enrollment in the country, it is inexcusable for SPS to restrict families' access to option schools. By turning away students from these schools, the District not only limits families’ choices but also jeopardizes its own financial stability,” said Martha Berman, a Salmon Bay K-8 parent and an organizer of the coalition.

As detailed in the complaint, parents are calling for immediate action to address the harmful effects of SPS’s mismanagement on students and families. SPS failed to notify families on waitlists that students would not be moved, and it has not updated the student assignment plan since the 2022-23 school year. Parents are urging the District to implement clear, objective standards for processing waitlists—standards that maximize enrollment, respect family choices, and promote fairness, without pitting schools and students against one another.

SPS has yet to respond to the substance of the complaint, which can be viewed at www.seattlestudentoptions.org. This complaint follows numerous emails, phone calls, and a letter signed by hundreds of parents, all directed to the District’s enrollment staff, the superintendent, and the school board between April and August 2024. 

About Seattle Student Options Coalition

The Seattle Student Options Coalition seeks to secure and expand school options for all students in Seattle Public Schools. The group is composed of local families with students enrolled in SPS, and aspires to build a parent and educator community that advocates for the maintenance and expansion of option schools and programs in SPS.

Media contact: 

info@seattlestudentoptions.org

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