A Washington state House committee last week advanced a bill that would split the Seattle school system into two smaller districts, a week after the measure was panned by education advocates and members of the public.
The idea was rejected by every speaker at a public hearing last month, including representatives of the school district, the PTA, the teachers’ union, and the League of Women Voters.
Sponsors of the measure say the 52,000-student district is too big to solve its problems. But opponents to the split contend that two districts would cost more and likely worsen the achievement gap between students from different ethnic and economic groups.
