{"id":116600,"date":"2026-04-27T08:32:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T11:32:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/put-students-first-parents-push-back-on-potential-bellingham-school-closures\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T08:32:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T11:32:56","slug":"put-students-first-parents-push-back-on-potential-bellingham-school-closures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/put-students-first-parents-push-back-on-potential-bellingham-school-closures\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Put students first’: Parents push back on potential Bellingham school closures"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Every seat was\u00a0occupied\u00a0at Thursday, April 23\u2019s Bellingham School Board meeting, as community members and parents showed up to push back on potential elementary school closures.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since February,\u00a0a\u00a0district task force<\/a> has been developing recommendations in response to enrollment decline in the school district. Bellingham is projecting a decline of about 1,000 students from 2018 to 2028. This district is also facing financial challenges.<\/a><\/p>\n

The task force could recommend attendance boundary changes, the consolidation of programs, or \u2014 most controversially \u2014 the closure or one or more elementary schools. Carl Cozier and Columbia elementary schools have\u00a0emerged\u00a0as the most likely candidates for closure, based on task force minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During public comment on Thursday, parents asked the district to slow down the process and consider other options before recommending any closures. <\/p>\n

They also critiqued district leadership\u00a0for the data presented to\u00a0justify the need for\u00a0closures,\u00a0spending,\u00a0administrative\u00a0salaries\u00a0and reversal of plans approved by the community in a 2022 bond<\/a>, often to raucous cheers from the more than 100-person crowd.\u00a0Many also called out the school board for not providing adequate oversight.<\/p>\n

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Chalk-written pleas to keep Bellingham Public Schools running without school closures cover the entrance to the district\u2019s offices. (Santiago Ochoa<\/a><\/span>\/Cascadia Daily News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cYou asked us to invest in schools, and we did, and now we\u2019re asking you to honor that investment with transparency, accountability and decisions that put students first,\u201d said Ginny\u00a0Roscamp,\u00a0a parent of young children who will enter the district soon, during public comment.<\/p>\n

No decisions have been made yet about school closures. The task force continues to meet and may make recommendations in May.\u00a0No\u00a0school closures\u00a0would\u00a0occur\u00a0before\u00a02027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But parents expressed harsh criticism as to how the process has been handled.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parent Lauren Smith said it felt like the district started with an\u00a0\u201cagenda\u201d of school consolidation, and \u201cthen went on to justify why that is the path forward.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cClosing schools without good analysis risks harming students, families,\u00a0neighborhoods\u00a0and voter trust in the district,\u201d Smith said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some parents picked apart the district\u2019s data. The\u00a0district\u00a0has estimated that an elementary school closure would save about $1 million annually.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But parent Sachin Pai and other community members tested that theory in public comment, subtracting other recurring costs that they argued the district didn\u2019t consider in its estimate, including the roles that would be reassigned, the students who might leave the district after a closure, transportation costs, more support at the new school and\u00a0security\u00a0costs for the old one. Pai estimated the actual savings, if Columbia were to close, at $200,000 annually.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sachin Pai, a parent of students who attend Columbia Elementary School, breaks down how and if closures of elementary schools would result in significant savings. (Santiago Ochoa<\/a><\/span>\/Cascadia Daily News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe real question tonight is not, do closures save money?\u201d Pai said. \u201cThe real question is, is this\u00a0level\u00a0of community disruption worth such a paltry and uncertain financial benefit?\u201d<\/p>\n

Others advocated for options that could grow enrollment in the district. Parent Kristin Sandberg pitched the idea of actively\u00a0recruiting\u00a0students\u00a0from other districts, a strategy employed by Mercer Island and Bellevue school districts.\u00a0(In an online FAQ<\/a>\u00a0updated\u00a0earlier this week, the district said it\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0consider doing this.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

One elementary principal spoke during public comment, too. Courtney Ross Webb, principal of Wade King Elementary,\u00a0said at its peak a decade ago, there were more than 400\u00a0students. This year, they have 275 students and nine empty classrooms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen our schools are full, we can more\u00a0equitably distribute\u00a0resources, which we know leads to better outcomes for all of our students and all of our families,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Superintendent Greg Baker said Bellingham has an \u201cincredible community that cares about our kids,\u201d but that this is \u201chard.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"\"
Greg Baker, superintendent of Bellingham Public Schools, spent the first half of the school board meeting listening to parents\u2019 and community members\u2019 concerns about potential school closures. (Santiago Ochoa<\/a><\/span>\/Cascadia Daily News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t always get to decide our challenges,\u201d he said, pointing to the\u00a0pandemic, state funding issues and now birth rate declines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said ongoing underfunding from the state has, in part, forced the district into conversations about school closures and ongoing staffing cuts. School board\u00a0members\u00a0also emphasized the Legislature\u2019s lack of action on fixing school funding challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to make the best decisions we can,\u201d Baker said. \u201cNone of them are great.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Board member Katie Rose said the board wasn\u2019t trying to deflect responsibility, but that the\u00a0district\u2019s\u00a0partner (the Legislature) is not \u201cdoing their legal duty\u201d to fund\u00a0schools. \u201cWe\u00a0are having\u00a0to deal with the consequences,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Charlotte Alden<\/a> is CDN\u2019s general assignment\/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com<\/a>; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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Every seat was\u00a0occupied\u00a0at Thursday, April 23\u2019s Bellingham School Board meeting, as community members and parents showed up to push back on potential elementary school closures.\u00a0\u00a0 Since February,\u00a0a\u00a0district task force has been developing recommendations in response to enrollment decline in the school district. Bellingham is projecting a decline of about 1,000 students from 2018 to 2028. 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