Sami West
Online Editor/Reporter
About
Sami West joined KUOW’s web team as an Online Editor/Reporter in 2025.
Before that, she spent over two years covering education at KUOW, reporting extensively on mounting financial challenges in Seattle Public Schools and districts across Washington state. Her coverage also focused on growing concerns about violence in and around schools, teacher shortages, the youth mental health crisis, and the countless ways Covid continues to affect schools and families, among other topics.
Previously, she wrote about education for Chalkbeat in Memphis, Tennessee, and two newspapers in Wisconsin.
A Midwesterner at heart, Sami originally hails from Minnesota and holds degrees in journalism and English from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Education Writers Association
Stories
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Attention Washington college students: There's still time to apply for federal aid
Washington state education leaders want college-bound students to know it’s not too late to apply for federal financial aid.
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Down, but not out: Seattle Public Library shuts the book on two-pronged tech challenge
Despite the one-two punch of a ransomware attack over Memorial Day weekend — then the Crowdstrike software outage last week — Seattle Public Library will be back to normal soon.
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With school closures looming, Seattle Public Schools passes belt-tightening budget
Seattle Public Schools' newly-passed budget closes a nearly $105 million budget gap — and tees up likely school closures in the fall of 2025.
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How will Seattle Public Schools leaders decide which elementary schools should close?
For months, Seattle Public Schools parents and community members have been asking district leaders to "show their work" to prove that shuttering 20 elementary schools is necessary.
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Seattle delays decision on which schools will close
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Families won't know which Seattle schools may close until fall
Seattle Public Schools families have braced for a list to come out this month, naming 20 elementary schools that might close. But SPS leaders will not be releasing that list this summer after all.
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No off-campus lunch, more police: Seattle Schools considers safety changes amid gun violence concerns
Seattle school leaders are planning safety and security improvements for next school year, in the wake of a shooting at Garfield High School that left a student dead and the community reeling.
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Dozens gather for unity walk honoring Garfield High School shooting victim
Dozens of people gathered to mourn a Garfield High School student killed last week and called for community-wide change during a unity walk through Seattle's Central District on Thursday.
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Locking up students' cellphones? This Seattle school is about to try it
A Seattle middle school is launching a new program to crack down on students using cellphones in class.
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Why are so many Seattle kids leaving public school for private?
In the wake of the pandemic, enrollment in private and home schools has soared in Washington state and across the country. How much are those shifts contributing to Seattle Public Schools' declining enrollment — and the budget crisis that comes with it?