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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Only half of WA students are reading at grade level, new test scores show
Just 50% of students across Washington state are reading at grade level, according to the state’s latest standardized test results. Literacy rates declined during the pandemic and have yet to rebound.
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Seattle Public Schools narrowly averts strike, allowing kids to return to classes
Seattle Public Schools averted a strike, allowing the district’s nearly 50,000 students to return to classrooms on time for the first day Wednesday.
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Bellevue’s first Asian American superintendent reflects on his family’s 120-year US journey
Despite budget cuts and change, Kelly Aramaki, Bellevue's first Asian American superintendent, has an ambitious vision for the place he grew up.
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Strike is 'looking more likely,' some Seattle school staff say
Days before the first day of school, one of the unions representing Seattle Public Schools staffers says a strike is becoming increasingly likely.
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Teacher strikes delay first day of school for 30k students in southwest WA
Teachers are striking in the Camas and Evergreen school districts near Vancouver. It affects over 30,000 students.
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Why does the US drug czar think WA schools should stock Narcan like fire extinguishers?
The United States’ top drug control official, Dr. Rahul Gupta, is in Washington state this week to sound the alarm on the threat of fentanyl — especially for kids this school year.
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Has summer school helped in the fight against pandemic learning loss?
One approach educators have taken to make up for pandemic learning loss is to send kids to summer school. But a new report finds expanded summer learning programs weren't as effective as they'd hoped.
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Why Dolly Parton is bringing children's books to Washington state
Dolly Parton visited Tacoma Tuesday to celebrate the statewide expansion of her Imagination Library in Washington state, which provides free books to kids.
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Why Dolly Parton is bringing children's books to Washington state
Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" Tuesday was a stop at Tacoma's Pantages Theater, where she celebrated the statewide expansion of her Imagination Library program.
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Facing another budget deficit and possible school closures, SPS seeks community feedback
As Seattle Public Schools faces another budget deficit of roughly $100 million — and school closures are likely on the horizon — the district is looking for feedback at a series of community meetings this month.