Bellingham group rallies against school closures, advocates for state-level fix
A newly-formed neighborhood group is offering to help push for more public education funding at the state level if the Bellingham Public Schools district agrees to keep two elementary schools open that are recommended for closure.
“Neighborhood schools are a really beautiful and special thing. To rip that out of communities, it’s almost unthinkable to me,” Columbia Elementary School parent and coalition member Kristin Sandberg told The Bellingham Herald.
A district planning task force recently recommended the closure of both Carl Cozier and Columbia elementary schools as a way of addressing declining enrollment.
The Bellingham Neighborhood Schools Coalition, made up mostly of parents and other community members, formed in opposition to school closures. The group has more than 1,100 followers on its Facebook page.
“We do not believe school closures are the right or sustainable solution. While we remain hopeful that the district leadership and the community can work hand-in-hand toward a solution that preserves these vital neighborhood hubs, families are prepared to defend their schools,” the coalition said in a June 4 statement in response to the closure recommendation.
Coalition members have consistently communicated skepticism over the demographic data used to determine enrollment projections, and the thoroughness and transparency of the recommendation process. Many are also concerned about potential downstream impacts on students.
All the information reviewed by the district task force, including the final recommendation report and their decision-making process, is publicly available. The district has not made a final determination about whether to close schools.
Members of the coalition said they believe “the root cause of this crisis is the systemic underfunding of public education across Washington state.”
They said their top priority is keeping all neighborhood schools open, and if the district collaborates with them to make that happen, they will mobilize with community groups across the state to demand education funding reform in Olympia.
“As parents, neighbors, and community members, we would much rather channel our collective energy into partnering with the district to champion its strength in Olympia. Instead, we are forced to advocate for the very preservation of public education right here on our doorstep,” the coalition’s statement says.
The school district has long publicly communicated its frustration with the lack of funding available from the state and the impact that has had on things like layoffs and cuts to school programs.
“We’ve had budget challenges and reductions for the past three budget cycles — and probably going to be more. ... Our state constitution says the primary responsibility of the state of Washington is to amply fund K-12, and that’s clearly not happening,” Superintendent Dr. Greg Baker told The Herald.
Baker told The Herald that while the district appreciates any community member who wants to reach out to state legislators in support of K-12 education, the recommendation to close the two schools is not just about funding.
“Right now we have this lower birth rate happening across much of the globe, much of the country, much of the state and locally. The data shows that we’re going to lose 20% of our elementary school population between five years ago and five years from now — about 1,000 kids out of 5,000. Naturally, when you lose 20% of your population, you need fewer facilities,” Baker said.
The task force recommendation report states that while budget savings potential exists through school closures, “the issue of saving money should not be understood as the overarching factor for consideration of school consolidation or closure.”
“The enrollment decline alone constitutes the most important factor, and left unaddressed has the potential to radically disrupt equity of the students’ experience across BPS elementary schools,” the report states.
Sachin Pai said the group would use every avenue to fight the decision, including considering legal measures, if the district decides to move forward with closures. Pai is a coalition organizer and father to three students in the district — two at Columbia Elementary School.
Pai referenced a legal case brought by parents of students in the Olympia School District in 2024 after its board voted to consider closing two of its elementary schools. A judge initially sided with parents because the board had not yet published a specific written analysis of the proposed closures, according to previous reporting by The Olympian. The schools remained open, but recent discussions about budget reductions have district parents worried the schools are up for closure consideration again this year, The Olympian reported.
“We will continue to do our own analysis, be critical of the district and the decisions they’ve made, in the past and going forward. We can do this for years unless we keep our schools open,” Pai told The Herald.
