Politics
Closing schools: blaming the victims
A lot of the rationales for closing Seattle school buildings don't hold up. Often the reason for closing the school is the choice of the district to neglect that very school.
Dick Lilly
Dick Lilly is a former Seattle Times reporter who covered Seattle neighborhoods, City Hall and public schools during 14-years with the paper. From 1999 until his retirement in 2015, he worked for Seat
Latest work
Politics
School closures: let's get more cards on the table
It's become a trade off between cutting staff positions and building closures. The teachers' union quietly comes out for closures, but we still don't know enough about the options to judge well.
Politics
Seattle school closure plan, due Tuesday, still doesn't add up
The savings are small, and the closures seem arbitrary, but still the sense of panic over a budget gap is driving the plan.
Politics
School closures: It's an earthquake
The plan may affect nearly 10 percent of the district's schoolchildren. This is wise?
Politics
Closing schools: here's a better way
A former school board member looks at the school closure options the board must vote on Jan. 29 and suggests that the members delay a year, partially reject Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson’s proposal, and instead create more K-8 schools.