Comment: Charter schools are public schools; fund them as such

Published 1:30 am Thursday, March 5, 2026

By Marcus Harden / For The Herald

Washington is facing difficult budget choices. That is real.

But when we continually ask the same communities to do more with less — especially communities already receiving less — that is not equity.

It is erosion.

Erosion of trust. Erosion of opportunity. Erosion of the future we claim to be building for our children; while our actions suggest otherwise.

I have spent 23 years in public education. Seventeen of those years were in traditional public schools: Title I, alternative education and International Baccalaureate programs. I have worked in classrooms where resources were thin, but belief was strong.

Recently, after tragedy struck Seattle’s South End following the fatal shootings of two students, I stood on the same corner as the new Seattle Public Schools superintendent. Not as representatives of competing systems, but as public servants responding to one grieving community.

Because these are all of our students. And this is one community.

Charter public schools are not outside Washington’s public education system. We are part of it. Our students are public school students. Our teachers are certificated under Washington law. Our schools operate under renewable five-year public contracts. And our charter law is among the most accountable in the country.

That accountability is real.

Each charter public school is evaluated annually across academic, financial and organizational frameworks. Our School Performance team conducts two formal Quality School Reviews every year, including multiple in-person visits. We monitor financial health, governance, and student outcomes.

Over the last two years, we have shifted technical assistance from reactive to preventative, investing earlier and intervening sooner to strengthen schools before challenges become crises.

And when standards are not met, we act.

When sustainability is not achievable, we make hard decisions. When schools must close, we do so with community, not to community. We prioritize continuity for students, communicate transparently, honor families with dignity, work to strengthen public trust and manage public dollars responsibly.

That is public stewardship.

And yet, despite being fully public and highly accountable, charter public schools operate with structural funding inequities built into the system.

Charter public schools cannot access local property tax levies. On average, that translates to roughly $3,800 less per student than traditional public schools. The Legislature’s $1,500 per pupil enrichment allocation last year has helped narrow, not eliminate, that gap.

If that enrichment funding disappears, the impact is immediate.

With roughly 4,800 students enrolled statewide, eliminating $1,500 per pupil equals about $7 million in lost funding, more than $400,000 per school on average.

In schools already operating without levy dollars, that is destabilizing.

Four to six teachers. Special education interventionists. Multilingual learner supports. Transportation. Mental health counselors.

These are not extras. They are lifelines.

Families choosing charter public schools are not opting out of public education. They are participating in it.

Rainier Prep, recently recognized for outstanding achievement, serves students from Seattle, Tukwila, Highline, Renton, and beyond. Those students are not leaving the system; they are moving within it. Their success strengthens Washington.

Lumen High School in Spokane serves pregnant and parenting teens, offering a pathway to graduation and stability. That is public education responding to real human need.

State data shows charter public schools serve higher percentages of Black and Latino students, low-income students, multilingual learners, mobile students and students with disabilities. Families choose these schools because they feel seen.

We are proud of strong outcomes and rigorous oversight.

But doing more with less is not a strategy. It is a strain.

Accountability requires capacity. Equity requires resources. Sustainability requires alignment.

We cannot expect schools to serve higher-need populations, maintain certificated staff, lease facilities without bond access, undergo intensive oversight, deliver strong outcomes, and absorb disproportionate cuts, all while calling that fairness.

This moment is about more than funding formulas.

It is about what we model for our students.

It is often said in Olympia that the budget reflects our values as a state. I hope that our elected leaders can show the 4,800 students who depend on charter public schools that their education matters by acting to close the gap and maintain funding for these public schools.

Marcus Harden is the executive director of the Washington State Charter School Commission, the state agency that serves as the main authorizer of charter public schools in our state.