Private funding to keep charter schools open ‘uncertain,’ backers say
The Washington State Charter Schools Association has acknowledged that it has not yet raised enough private money to keep Washington charters running for a full school year.
Following a state Supreme Court ruling in September that invalidated Washington’s charter school law, the private association had expressed confidence it would be able to raise an estimated $14 million in donations to keep the schools running for a year.
But in a motion filed Wednesday with the Supreme Court, the association appears to be backing down from that confidence as it makes a plea for continued public funding for the remainder of the school year.
Charter schools received their September state funding, according to the state charter school commission, the appointed government body that authorized seven of the state’s nine charter schools.
The association said in its court motion that it is aware of potential donors, and that both it and the individual schools are actively seeking contributions.
But the court motion adds that “the results are uncertain. It would be pure speculation to believe that all nine schools could raise enough to continue operating through this school year.”
The association says in a news release that continued public funding is crucial to keeping the schools open.
“We believe these are public schools and will remain public schools in the future,” said Tom Franta, who heads the association.
The association is asking the state Supreme Court to delay the effective date of its Sept. 4 ruling, which struck down the charter school law approved by voters in 2012.
The association asks that the court delay enforcing the ruling until June 30 to allow students already enrolled in charter schools to complete the school year there. Nine charter schools with nearly 1,300 students — including three schools in Tacoma — had already opened when the Supreme Court ruling was issued.
The association argues that forcing students — especially special education students — to transition to another public school now would be harmful to their education. The court document says that special needs students make up more than 10 percent of the population at eight of the nine charters.
The association also contends that some school districts might have trouble accommodating returning students. One example cited in its motion says that Gray Middle School and First Creek Middle School in the Tacoma School District would each need to absorb 30 sixth graders who are now at Destiny Charter Middle School in Tacoma.
Tacoma Public Schools spokesman Dan Voelpel said the district has the capacity to accommodate those students.
“Without knowing who the students are and where they live and which middle schools the parents would choose for their children, I can’t say which schools they would go to,” he added.
The court said in September that privately operated, publicly funded charter schools do not qualify as common schools under Washington’s constitution and therefore are not entitled to public funding. They are not common schools, the court said, because they are not controlled by elected boards. Instead, charters are governed by nonprofit organizations that appoint their own boards to oversee operations.
On Sept. 24, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a motion for reconsideration, asking the court to re-examine its decision. The court has given the charter association until Oct. 23 to file a similar request.
Angel Morton, president of the Tacoma Education Association, said in an opinion column onCrosscut.com that more than 1,000 educators have signed an online petition askingPrivate funding to keep charter schools open ‘uncertain,’ backers say | The News Tribune:
