Seattle school closures: Programs should be replicated, not closed

Re: “Seattle’s school closure plan slashes what works, not what doesn’t” [Sept. 15, Local News]:

Our four children attended what was then called Alternative Elementary II at Decatur, now called Thornton Creek. I feel it was the best decision we ever made as parents. Those seven years of kindergarten through sixth grade were delightful for our children as well as for their father and me. Years ago, our son said that the quality of education he received at AEII exceeded the quality of his college education at a selective university. I am appalled by the proposal to close this and other thriving public schools in Seattle.

Closing schools that have long waiting lists is analogous to stores stopping to offer their best-selling products because they bring in too many customers or health care facilities forbidding their most successful cancer treatments because too many people survive.

Schools that provide specialized programs that attract families to enroll their children in Seattle’s public schools should be replicated, not closed. Seattle’s public schools need more students, not fewer students.

Chris Syrjala, Seattle