Up next for charter schools: Plans and lawyers

  • By Donna Gordon Blankinship Associated Press
  • Saturday, November 17, 2012 10:22pm
  • Local NewsNorthwest

SEATTLE — Now that voters have spoken about charter schools will the new, independent public schools be an option at the beginning of the next academic year?

It seems unlikely.

Voters narrowly approved Initiative 1240 earlier this month, but opening charter schools by 2013 would require many things to happen quickly — and there’s a strong possibility that the state’s top education officer will sue to block them.

First the state Board of Education has to figure out the next steps. The board has until March 6 to adopt rules to govern most aspects of charter schools in Washington. Board spokesman Aaron Wyatt said that schedule is tight, so people shouldn’t expect them to beat their deadline.

Next on the agenda: The new Washington Charter School Commission will be formed and begin its work. The independent state agency created by the initiative will be authorizing and supervising the new entities.

The commission will be made up of nine members, three appointed by the governor, three by the president of the Senate and three by the speaker of the House. They will be supported by staff with a budget of an estimated $3 million a year.

People who want to open a charter school in Washington will need to wait for the commission to get settled before they open the application process. It’s not known how long the application process will take — since the rules have not been written — but the process in New York state, for example, takes about four months from the initial filing to final approval.

The new law would open as many as 40 charter schools over five years.

Under the terms of the initiative, any nonprofit organization could start a charter school here if their plan is approved by either the new statewide commission or a local school board that has been authorized by the state school board to approve charter schools.

Out-of-state groups have offered to help Washington make the transition toward becoming the 42nd state with charter schools.

“There’s really been an outpouring of support that I couldn’t have predicted,” said Chris Korsmo, executive director of the League of Education Voters, who worked on the Yes on 1240 campaign and whose group advocates for school reform.

She called the idea of opening the first charter school by fall 2013 a tall order and probably missing the point of the initiative. She said the goal is to insure the new schools are of the highest quality and focus on offering a great education to low income and minority kids.

The League of Education Voters has heard from parents, teachers and school leaders who are interested in being involved in the new schools, as well as from charter school operators in other states, Korsmo said.

Robin Lake, director of the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education, and a national expert on charter school research, said the most important key to success for charters in Washington is the 20 years of experience to draw on from the 41 states that already allow the independent schools.

The schools are most likely to succeed if the authorizers focus on good performance management, Lake said.

The commission and any school boards that are allowed to authorize charters must make sure the schools they approve have more than just a good idea. They need to have the ability to create a great education programs, do effective planning, manage their budget, roll out well and meet their goals, she said.

“It takes commitment and on-the-ground work after the law is implemented,” she said.

Finding a balance between regulations and freedom for creativity helped lead charters to success in other places, like Denver, New York City and New Orleans, she said, noting failures in states such as Arizona are due to weak oversight and accountability.

The long-term goal is about improving education for all kids and that can happen if the people who run traditional and charter public schools learn from each other, she said. “This is about more good schools. It’s not about charter schools.”

One significant hurdle is Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn, who says he may sue to stop the initiative from establishing a parallel department of education.

Initiative 1240 was unconstitutional because it would set up a separate school system with a board that isn’t elected by the people, he said.

“It is clearly circumventing the constitution,” he said, because the state constitution established an elected superintendent of public instruction to oversee all public schools.

He has talked to the attorney general’s office and state lawmakers about his concerns and hopes the Legislature will find a way to fix the new law, but is willing to bring a constitutional challenge all the way to the Washington Supreme Court, if necessary.

————

Online:

State Board of Education: http://sbe.wa.gov/charters.php

Center on Reinventing Public Education: www.crpe.org

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.