At Wednesday night's meeting the board authorized Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson to begin the process of identifying schools to close. The board also said it needs to balance capacity between some crowded north Seattle schools with south-end schools with room.

The decision means that the superintendent can now start looking at different closure options to deal with a $24 million shortfall.

"We had a real clear example of community-generated solutions and even solutions generated by our principals about how we can help in this collaborative effort. And we really have to think of it in terms of all children and not just some children, depending on where they live," Goodloe-Johnson said.

A recent audit found that Seattle public schools have 18 percent more classroom space than they need due to declining enrollment.

Two years ago a school district proposal to close school was canceled under criticism from parents.

The Seattle district is the largest in Washington with about 44,000 students in 100 schools.