Kerry Cooley Stroum was so opposed to a Seattle school-district plan to close schools last spring that she helped design T-shirts for parents and kids to wear to board meetings.

Protests from parents like Stroum, whose twins go to Montlake Elementary, helped pressure Superintendent Raj Manhas to scrap the money-saving proposal last May.

Almost a year later, a multi-million-dollar deficit remains, and a new plan to close schools has surfaced. But you won't find Stroum digging out her "Public schools are the heart of our city" T-shirt. This time around, she said, she'd support school closures if they're done for the right reason.

The Seattle School Board has decided to close 11 schools — some will be consolidated — for the 2007-08 school year in an effort to close a budget gap. The closures would save $4.8 million the first year, chipping away at a deficit that, at that point, is expected to reach nearly $22 million.

The next step in the process starts Thursday, when a committee charged with recommending which schools to close holds its first of eight community meetings.

Many parents still oppose closing schools, believing, for example, that the district will have to end good programs and increase class sizes. Some suggest that it's a shortsighted solution because the district could grow again.

But voices of support are louder than they were last year.

Town Hall meetings

A 15-member Community Advisory Committee will hold eight meetings in the coming weeks to hear from community members about school closure.

Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Madison Middle School, 3429 45th Ave S.W.

Saturday, 9 a.m. Hamilton Middle School, 1610 N. 41st St.

Saturday, 2 p.m. Aki Kurose Middle School, 3928 S. Graham St.

Monday, 6:30 p.m. Meany Middle School, 301 21st Ave. E.

May 11, 6:30 p.m. Hamilton Middle School, 1610 N. 41st St.

May 13, 9 a.m. Madison Middle School, 3429 45th Ave S.W.

May 13, 2 p.m. Meany Middle School, 301 21st Ave. E.

May 15, 6:30 p.m. Aki Kurose Middle School, 3928 S. Graham St.

Source: Seattle Public Schools

Some parents say they've been won over by the district's more deliberate and transparent process this year. Others have looked at the data and decided closing schools would be worth the savings.

"The barometer has really shifted during the past seven or eight months," said Sherry Carr, the president of the Seattle Council PTSA.

Her group hasn't taken a formal vote, but she believes most members support the closures. Some high-school PTSAs have even voted in favor of closures because they think the elementary schools are draining the system.

"I think from a year ago till now, the difference is enormous," said School Board President Brita Butler-Wall.

The board is moving more slowly this year and using detailed criteria, including academic success, to decide which schools to close. Parents and board members complained last year that the public didn't get enough of a chance to comment before Manhas announced 12 schools he planned to close.

This year, Manhas won't even comment on the closure process, said district spokeswoman Patti Spencer.

"The way they did it last year was they just, you know, equal pain spread all over," said School Board member Sally Soriano, who led an effort on the board to stop the closures. "I think possibly we're getting into a more thoughtful, creative solution."

That means a lot to parents, though Soriano thinks it's too early to say whether there's more support for closures this time around.

Last spring, Butler-Wall said, her e-mail inbox was flooded with letters from parents who opposed the closures.

This year, she's heard from only three. Whereas sign-wielding parents and students packed School Board meetings to protest last year, many of the parents showing up to meetings this spring are encouraging the board to go ahead with closures.

A group of parents from Kimball Elementary, who don't believe their school is likely to close, told the board at a meeting this month that they represent a "silent majority" of parents who think some schools should be closed.

More than 150 parents filled out comment cards about school closure earlier this year for the Superintendent's Community Advisory Committee on Investing for Educational Excellence.

Three-quarters of those supported closing some schools, some adamantly. "It's about time," one wrote. Two called it "a no-brainer."

"Why do we keep ignoring the biggest elephant in the room?" wrote another. "Nobody wants to do this, but WE NEED TO."

Kevin Cain, whose son attends Cooper Elementary in West Seattle, has also had a change of heart. Last year, he worked with other Cooper parents to fight school closures. Now he thinks closing schools is probably the way to go.

"Looking at what's available to cut, it's obvious: We have to close schools," he said. "Something has to be done. We have to save money somewhere."

That doesn't mean parents won't fight to keep their own schools open. Both Stroum and Cain said they would argue that their kids' schools shouldn't close, but that they could be convinced otherwise.

But Stroum praised the superintendent's committee for setting up a long-range vision for schools. She said that has rubbed off on her family and other families at Montlake and made them feel optimistic — like closures could be worth it if a great education is the goal.

"You give us something to believe in, and we're there," she said. "Public-school families are a pretty dedicated group."

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com

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