Seattle Public Schools is considering merging two of its K-8 campuses, Licton Springs and Salmon Bay, as the district grapples with a persistent budget shortfall. A meeting for families tied to the proposal has been scheduled for December 11, and the news lands as the district continues to warn that its finances remain fragile even after adopting its 2026-27 budget at a regular board meeting on August 26, 2026.
The consolidation proposal was detailed by West Seattle Blog, which reported that Licton Springs and Salmon Bay K-8 are among the schools slated for a December 11 meeting on the plan. The outlet also noted that the district used the same family-notification template for the Licton Springs and Salmon Bay proposal as it did for four other schools facing similar proposals, suggesting this is not an isolated case but part of a broader round of consolidation discussions. KING 5 also identified Licton Springs and Salmon Bay as potential closures.
Both Licton Springs and Salmon Bay serve students from kindergarten through eighth grade, but the dossier available does not specify how a merger would affect enrollment, staffing, programs, or attendance boundaries at either campus. It is also not yet clear whether the proposal amounts to a formal closure, a relocation, or another kind of consolidation.
A Budget That's Balanced, Barely
The proposal surfaces against a backdrop of financial strain that Seattle Public Schools has been sounding alarms about for months. The district's adopted General Fund operating budget for 2026-27 totals $1.34 billion, according to Seattle Public Schools, with the school board voting to approve that budget at its August 26 regular meeting. Even so, the district acknowledged that the new budget only addresses the projected deficit for the current year — without additional changes, the same Seattle Public Schools page states, the structural deficit will persist.
Superintendent Ben Shuldiner told KOMO News in September that this year's budget is balanced but reserves are thin. He said the district could be staring down a $27 million shortfall next year if spending continues to outpace revenue, adding that nothing is off the table, including potential future consolidations, as the district looks for ways to stay solvent.
Earlier This Year, Closures Were Off the Table
The timeline underscores how quickly the district's posture has shifted. Back in February, KOMO News reported that SPS was discussing how to close an $87 million budget shortfall for the 2026-27 school year, but at that time the district said changes to its portfolio of schools — including closures or realignments — were not being considered. That same report noted that closures or consolidations like those previously floated could still be reconsidered in years after 2026-27, a possibility that now appears to be materializing with the Licton Springs and Salmon Bay proposal.
Seattle Public Schools has also said it plans to pursue additional operational efficiencies and optimize revenue while continuing to consider adjustments to school and district operations, per the same adopted-budget page. The Seattle Medium has separately reported that the district is weighing school mergers as part of its broader effort to address its structural deficit.
Déjà Vu From 2024
This is not the first time Licton Springs-style consolidation talk has rattled SPS families. In 2024, the district initially floated 21 schools for potential consolidation before narrowing that list to four, and ultimately withdrew its closure recommendations altogether, according to KOMO News. Whether the current proposal involving Licton Springs and Salmon Bay follows a similar path toward withdrawal, or moves forward to a final decision, remains to be seen.
For now, families connected to Licton Springs and Salmon Bay are left waiting for the December 11 meeting, with no public detail yet on what time or format it will take, or what decision might follow. The broader question of how Seattle Public Schools closes its structural deficit — and whether more school pairings like this one are coming — remains unresolved.
