Seattle Schools Community Forum: Private Donors Set to Fund Charters if State Doesn't

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Private Donors Set to Fund Charters if State Doesn't:

Private Donors Set to Fund Charters if State Doesn't

From KPLU:

A network of donors will step up if necessary to keep Washington state's nine charter schools open through the school year, a leading charter advocate said Tuesday, even if public dollars stop flowing in the wake of a state Supreme Court decision voiding Washington's charter school law.

Tom Franta, who heads the Washington State Charter Schools Association, said his organization has reached out to a network of something like 50 donors — whom Franta declined to identify — that can help cover the estimated $14 million necessary to cover all nine schools' operating costs through the end of the year.

Here's some remaining mysteries:

- First Place Scholars never seems to get a mention in all these but they, too, are scheduled to open tomorrow (according to their Facebook page).
- how do nine schools need over a $1M each?  Most are under 300 students.

I spoke with the Charter Commission's Executive Director, Joshua Halsey, this morning.  He said that the Commission may be winding down its work if they have no funding.  Who then, would oversee these schools that remain open?  He said he didn't know the answer to that or even if it would be legal for them to stay open.  

The court's ruling — which held charter schools are not entitled to any public funding because they lack the oversight of elected boards — could potentially cut off state funding to the schools as soon as Sept. 24, according to the state's top charter official, Joshua Halsey.
  
But Franta says his organization is exploring legal maneuvers that would Seattle Schools Community Forum: Private Donors Set to Fund Charters if State Doesn't: