Results of a pilot program will be presented to the school board early next year.
SEATTLE — As students return to Seattle Public Schools on Wednesday, the district is weighing changes to its cell phone policy while also grappling with an $80 million budget shortfall, declining enrollment and a search for a permanent superintendent.
Some schools are piloting a program that requires students to lock their phones away during the day. Results will be presented to the school board early next year, said Carlos Del Valle, the district’s chief information officer and superintendent for technology and optimization.
Alongside potential policy changes, the district is investing in school safety. Voter-approved levies have funded new buildings, redesigned entryways and upgraded monitoring and visitor management systems.
“We have made big investments in our buildings, redesigned entryways, better monitoring systems, better security systems, visitor management system,” Interim Superintendent Fred Podesta said.
At Kimball Elementary, Principal Angela Sheffey-Bogan said students and staff already feel the difference.
“All the exterior gates are locked during school hours and the only way to enter the building is the front door,” she said. “You have to be buzzed in and there is a camera there, so feeling very secure in this building.”
The new year begins amid financial challenges. The $80 million gap is part of the district’s $1.3 billion budget, which Podesta said underscores the difficulty of staffing and funding schools.
“While it’s not a trivial problem, it’s one that we think can be addressed by continuing to look for efficiencies in central office, looking to operate our school buildings more efficiently,” he said. “Seventy-eight percent of our costs are labor, so we’re going to have to continue to look at how we staff classrooms.”
Podesta added that the district’s reliance on state funding is a major concern.
“The revenue received from the state is not nearly enough to cover the expenses, especially for legally mandated programs,” he said.
Enrollment has dropped from more than 52,000 students five years ago to just over 49,000 this year, with kindergarten numbers continuing to shrink.
The district’s superintendent search remains ongoing. Applications are open until Sept. 15, with finalists expected later in the fall.
