Seattle Central College’s Wood Technology Center, the home to carpentry, boat-building, and pre-apprenticeship construction programs that train students for skilled trades, is at risk of closing as the college explores selling the building where it’s housed.
Reached by phone on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the college said that while they couldn’t name specific properties they were considering selling, the college is currently looking at all of their properties. This includes the block that contains the historic Egyptian Theater, which concluded operations under SIFF last October.
Multiple students and staff spoke to The Stranger and expressed concerns about the loss of the programs. These closures will impact a region that desperately needs them.
“Losing this for Seattle is a huge loss. It’s a huge loss for the local economy, it’s a huge loss for our industry,” says Catie Chaplan, a Seattle Central College Wood Technology instructor named 2017’s Instructor of the Year by the Washington Women in the Trades. “With the need for housing in Seattle, it’s a loss of one of the few places that trains carpenters to build houses.”
Staff and students say they learned of the potential closure from college leadership on Monday, including interim president Chantae Recasner. As reported by The Seattle Times, students protested outside a conference room where a meeting was taking place, wearing belts and toolbelts while chanting as administrators departed, hoping pressure would lead to a different outcome.
Much remains unknown. Staff say they intend to honor all currently enrolled students. Staff said they’ve been told that they could continue to enroll cohorts in the spring quarter. However, they could be prohibited from enrolling new students in the five-quarter program by fall. There are approximately 70 students on a program waitlist.
It’s important to staff to keep enrolling for as long as they can rather than have the building sit empty while awaiting a potential sale, staff say. More details about enrollment will come in the next week.
The Stranger asked about the looming closure, the financial health of the college, and whether instructors would be given more time to find a different solution. Barb Childs, Seattle Central College’s associate vice chancellor of public relations and strategic initiatives, sent the following statement:
“We are considering the sale of Seattle Colleges' properties, including Seattle Central's Wood Technology property, and relocating the programs, where applicable, to sister colleges. As we consider the sale of properties, we are seeking the most seamless and softest landing for our students and employees. We are exploring this decision due to structural funding challenges facing community colleges across our state, including declining state funding and rising operating costs.”
In addition to concerns about losing what they called “vital programs,” students and staff said the closure leaves fewer opportunities for unrepresented groups to break into the woodworking field.
“These programs are one-of-a-kind programs that provide access and equity in the trades. They’re the only programs of their kind in Seattle and in the vicinity,” says Chaplan. “My program right now is over 50 percent women. We have a lot of queer, nonbinary, trans students. … We have people from all walks of life coming here to get training and build confidence to get living wage jobs and careers in industries that are desperate for skilled workers.”
Stephan Anderson is one of those trans students. The possibility of cuts has haunted the building, they say. The loss would be significant for Anderson.
“As a trans person of color at this school, being supported and gassed up every day has been unforgettable,” they say. “I’ve never experienced an education like this.”
Chaplan argues more grants and partnerships could allow the program to continue. It’s happened before. The over-80-year-old institution received a $750,000 grant from the Lowe’s Foundation in 2024.
“To lose the campus and lose the property is a huge loss that, in my opinion and our opinion here, is really a short-sighted loss,” Chaplan said. “We understand there’s a budget crisis and community colleges are in a world of hurt, but the years of financial decisions that got us here shouldn’t be balanced on selling an irreplaceable campus.”