Seattle’s new schools chief, Ben Shuldiner, is wasting little time taking a red pen to the district’s headquarters. This week he moved to slim down the central office and push more money and attention back into classrooms, leaning on a vacancy-driven strategy that lets positions sit open or get reshuffled instead of triggering an immediate wave of layoffs. The goal is to simplify how decisions get made and redirect staff and dollars to schools, where educators have long argued the help is needed most.
How Shuldiner Plans To Cut Costs
Shuldiner told KUOW he has gone "line by line" through the budget and is targeting overlapping roles across departments in order to find savings without resorting to instant mass layoffs, according to KUOW. With the district staring at an estimated $87 million to $100 million shortfall, he said he prefers to remove or repurpose central-office positions as they become vacant instead of announcing sudden cuts. "It’s more important for us to support the people in the classroom than for us to be supporting the people in the central office," he told KUOW.
Central Office Criticism Is Not New
A MyNorthwest piece published on KIRO 7 noted that district critics have for years argued too much money is tied up in administration while some schools lack teachers and student supports, and reported Shuldiner’s view that the central office has "grown too large and complex," according to KIRO 7. Supporters of trimming the central office say reorganizing could free up dollars for classrooms, while opponents warn that any cuts must not gut districtwide services that students and schools rely on.
Early Days And Community Outreach
Shuldiner officially took over the district in early February and has promised a series of meet-and-greets and community sessions in each of the seven school board districts during his first 100 days, per a Seattle Public Schools news release. The district says he plans to visit every school as he finalizes budget recommendations to present to the board in the coming weeks, according to Seattle Public Schools.
What To Watch
The cost-cutting talk is unfolding against the backdrop of last year’s contentious school-closure discussions and ongoing enrollment declines, which helped make cuts a frequent talking point for district leaders, as KUOW has reported. Parents, staff and union leaders say they will be watching how the district handles any staffing changes, and whether classroom programs actually see the funding boost they have been promised.
