Superintendent's Newsletter_3/8/26

Dear Seattle Public Schools Community,

A little past 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, the Rainier Beach High School boys basketball team won their second state championship in a row, beating Lincoln (Tacoma) 75-53, for the school's 11th state title.

Standing on the floor, about 15 feet behind the basket, I was able to watch our Vikings play hard defense and selfless offense while dismantling the Abes. It was a complete and powerful win.

A big shout out to the players and coaching staff for all their incredible hard work throughout the year that brought them to this point where they got to raise up the championship trophy and cut down the nets. I was honored to be able to hand one of the awards to the team during the celebration.

I want to commend the wonderful Rainier Beach High School band as well as the entire Rainier Beach High School community that showed up at the Tacoma Dome to cheer their team to victory. For a school and community that has suffered so much this year, it was wonderful to see Rainier Beach win the State title.

I also want to congratulate the Roosevelt High School girls basketball team, which made it all the way to the state semifinals. The Rough Riders had an amazing season and we are proud of their accomplishment.

As a superintendent, I have always valued academic success. That is sort of a given. But I also care deeply about arts, music, athletics, and all "extra curricular" programming. The truth is, I don't even think of these as "extra." These are integral parts of a well-rounded educational program.

I hope that as the district moves toward solvency and starts to balance its budget, we start to reinvest in these programs. Watching a full marching band play as a sports team takes the field, or listening to a robust choir sing their hearts out to a packed auditorium, or taking in a musical or theater performance are activities I hope we can all aspire to witness throughout our district and not just in a select few schools.

These next two years will be difficult with budget cuts across the district, but as we problem solve and take a deep look into how we are spending the money we are given — and not the money we wish were given — I am confident that we will come out the other side stronger and better, with a sustainable future for years to come.

This will take all of us thinking as a district together. We must be willing to sacrifice our individual needs for the collective good. Our wins, like last night, are collective and our belt tightening is as well. We cannot think of ourselves as only Bulldogs or Wildcats, Eagles or Lynxes. At the end of the day, we are SPS. It is an honor serve you all.

Thank you for your support of Seattle Public Schools.

Ben