Although the City Council does not have jurisdiction over Seattle Public Schools, it can certainly partner with the district in their shared public mission. Our schools are a key nexus with our communities, de-facto community centers, and they provide an opportunity to identify and meet needs. But we cannot put this responsibility on our schools - instead we have to partner with them and support them. On council, with Seattle Public Schools to provide:

• Accessible crossings, streets, dropoffs and sidewalks all the way to the front door of our schools to ensure that our city doesn’t prevent our public schools from serving all of the public
• Funding for additional mental health counselors to reach a target ratio of 1 counselor to 200 student ratio, as requested by the Seattle Student Union in this time of mental health crisis for our children.
• A dedicated team of translators, social workers, and city services navigators so that SPS staff members and administrators can have a single point of contact to get their students and their families connected to the resources they need.
• Removal of parking requirements and onerous landmarking requirements that drastically raise the cost of school buildings, often reduce their energy efficiency, and waste scarce city land.