Charter School Strikedown Gets National Attention
Two stories from two noted national newspapers.
One is from the New York Times and is one of the most objectively written stories on public education that I have read in a long time. Its overview is the turmoil in public education in Washington State, including the Seattle teachers strike but is mostly about the Supreme Court decision on the charter law.
About the charter ruling;
We are now firmly on that chess table,” said Thomas Franta, the chief executive of the Washington State Charter Schools Association.
But he said the political terrain had gotten tricky because with two giant education issues facing the Legislature, the pressure would be immense to tackle them at the same time in a special session. “And doing them both at the same time is going to be more difficult,” he added.
But David Sciarra, the executive director of the Education Law Center, which advises lawyers on education financing cases, said the Washington ruling could foreshadow fights over charter school funding and how it affects traditional public schools. Particularly in communities with large numbers of charter schools, legacy school districts struggle with declining enrollments that can lead to school closings and leave the remaining schools with students who often are the most difficult to educate.
The other story is from the Washington Post ( I am quoted in it):
But the ruling also highlights a question that has spurred much debate in education circles as charter schools — which are funded with taxpayer dollars, but run by independent organizations — have expanded rapidly Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter School Strikedown Gets National Attention: