Seattle families can bring questions about academic rigor, school design, and school safety directly to Superintendent Ben Shuldiner starting Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Shuldiner announced a series of nine community engagement meetings for the 2026-27 school year, according to a Seattle Public Schools notice posted Monday, Sept. 21. The first session is at Thornton Creek Elementary (7712 40th Ave. NE) from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
All sessions are free.
The Sept. 29 agenda covers three topics the district says were highlighted in last year's community feedback: academic rigor, school design (including neighborhood schools, option schools, dual language and highly capable programs), and school safety and security. Future meeting topics will be drawn from ongoing community input.
The series rotates across Seattle neighborhoods through May 2027, with two virtual sessions on Zoom. Here is the full schedule, with all meetings running 6:30 to 8 p.m.:
- Tuesday, Sept. 29 — Thornton Creek Elementary, 7712 40th Ave. NE
- Tuesday, Oct. 27 — Eagle Staff Middle School, 1330 N 90th St.
- Tuesday, Nov. 17 — Zoom (virtual)
- Tuesday, Dec. 15 — Chief Sealth International High School / Denny Middle School, 2600 SW Thistle St.
- Tuesday, Jan. 12 — Coe Elementary, 2424 7th Ave. W
- Tuesday, Feb. 9 — Zoom (virtual)
- Tuesday, March 23 — Garfield High School, 400 23rd Ave.
- Tuesday, April 6 — South Shore K-8, 4800 S Henderson St.
- Tuesday, May 18 — Ballard High School, 1418 NW 65th St.
The locations span the district's geography. South Shore K-8 sits in the Rainier Valley, Chief Sealth/Denny in West Seattle, and Garfield High School hosts the Central District session.
Every meeting will include interpretation in Amharic, Chinese, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese, plus ASL services. The district is also providing light refreshments and activities for children.
The series continues engagement meetings held during the 2025-26 school year. The district links to a summary of that feedback on its website, but the report page was not displaying readable content on Sept. 22.
In a KING 5 profile published Sept. 3, Shuldiner committed to launching districtwide surveys at least once or twice a year and publishing results transparently. "I'm so happy to see how much people care about education in this city," Shuldiner told KING 5 in March. "People stop me on the street and say, 'Hey, I read your newsletter.' That doesn't happen in other cities."
Families with questions can contact the district through the Let's Talk platform on the SPS website.
Seattle Schools Week Ahead
- Tuesday, Sept. 29, 6:30–8 p.m. — Superintendent Community Engagement Meeting, Thornton Creek Elementary, 7712 40th Ave. NE. Topics: academic rigor, school design, school safety. Interpretation in five languages plus ASL. Childcare activities and refreshments provided.
