Why is Washington State Attorney General Robert Ferguson sticking his neck out for charter schools?
In politics, actions are everything. That’s why it’s especially interesting Attorney General Bob Ferguson has decided to defend charter schools AFTER they were ruled unconstitutional by the Washington State Supreme Court.
Here’s the twist: before the Supreme Court made their surprise ruling, many opponents of the charter school Initiative 1240 predicted the law was unconstitutional. The basis of their argument was that charters did not qualify as “common schools” because they weren’t under the supervision of an elected body. Because these schools were not common, they should not have access to public funds.
Currently the Washington State Legislature is being held in contempt by the Supreme Court for not fully funding public education in the state of Washington. This was just as true in 2012, when the voters narrowly approved Initiative 1240.
After Initiative 1240 squeaked to victory with 50.69% of the vote, both the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Randy Dorn, and the newly elected Attorney General, Bob Ferguson, decided not to challenge its constitutional standing.
This voter approved initiative opened the gates for public education funding to be channeled to private organizations without public oversight — essentially denying even Why is Washington State Attorney General Robert Ferguson sticking his neck out for charter schools? | Seattle Education:
