Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State's "Former Charter Schools" - Updates

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State's "Former Charter Schools" - Updates:

Washington State's "Former Charter Schools" - Updates

I call them "former charter schools" because, according to OSPI, that's what they are.  They are "contractors" fulfilling a program formulated by OSPI for their students.

My reading of all that is going on comes to two conclusions.

One, the current charter school law is dead.  Two Eastern Washington legislators, Senator Andy Billig and Senator Michael Baumgartner, are introducing a rather hacked-up bill (it's formatted using the old law to show the changes) - SB 6163.  It's what Charlie calls "charter-lite" and it's nonsense.  It would allow any school board in a district to become  an authorizer of a charter.  (The previous law made the district the authorizer with the school board having true role.)  It is a vague mess that would put both districts and school boards in uncharted waters without a map.

Two, there is no frankensteining these former charter schools back to life.  They have passed from being charter schools to being contracting schools.  How they were authorized and overseen would probably not align with any new law enough to make them legal.  They are done.

If people want charter schools, they need to start over with a clean (and constitutionally sound) charter law.  

But I can't see it getting done in this short session because of the more important issues that need to be covered (see: McCleary) and because a new Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State's "Former Charter Schools" - Updates: