After all, Seattle can’t close elementary schools

In a stunning twist, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones said Tuesday that he might not recommend closing schools after all.

The announcement comes after months of public outcry since Jones first unveiled a plan in September to close up to 21 elementary and K-8 schools — a list he later trimmed to four elementary schools: North Beach, Sacajawea, Sanislo and Stevens.

“The school board gave me direction to develop a preliminary recommendation (to close schools),” Jones said at Tuesday’s board meeting, when he was expected to provide an update on the consolidation plans.

“It is now clear that direction is changing and I am considering withdrawing my provisional recommendation,” he said.

Jones added that he needs time to consider whether to bring that proposal back to the board or develop a new one — if he does.

It is not yet clear whether statutory hearings on school closures due to begin early next month will go ahead as planned.

At Tuesday’s school board meeting, dozens of parents, students, educators and community members rallied against the proposed closings and spoke out against the plans during public comment.

Afterward, two board members expressed discomfort with the plans in their current form because they fail to explain how consolidations would help achieve the district’s main goal of improving academic outcomes for all students.

Through tears, board chair Liza Rankin apologized to the audience for the long, bumpy process since the board first considered closings a year ago.

“I’m so angry to be right here, in a preventable place,” Rankin said. “Your questions have not been answered. Our questions have not been answered.”

This is a development story.