The Washington State Education Association and other groups are suing to block the funding of charter schools in Washington State.
The battle over charters has gone on for years. There have been four referenda: the first three blocked charters. The fourth, in 2012, won by less than 1% after Bill Gates and fellow billionaires dumped nearly $20 million into the campaign. The funding was challenged in court and the state’s highest court ruled that charter schools are not public schools because they have private governance.
The oligarchs lobbied hard, persuaded Democrats to fund the 1,000 children in charters at the same time the legislature took no action on a court order to fund equitably the public schools that enroll the state’s 1 million children.
The WEA is going back to court to block the new funding, on grounds that charters are not public schools.
The only democratic institution untouched by Gates’ power to date is the courts. Let’s see what happens next.
Kudos to WEA for defending public schools.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I have to say, I’m surprised WEA is already jumping in with the lawsuit. Still, I wonder what the outcome would have been had WEA spoken up before I-1240 made it as far as it did. They sat back on their heels and waited, probably arrogantly thinking charter schools wouldn’t pass yet again, meanwhile some small groups of parents and teachers who knew otherwise spearheaded the bulk of the resistance to the charter initiative. So much for being proactive, WEA. Now it’s all just reaction.
Speaking of reactions…just wait for the sputtering drivel to come out of Robin Lake’s mouth. Should be fun. She’ll be “outraged”, then immediately start pointing out the flaws in public education and how public schools are not “innovative”. She’ll conveniently forget how horribly her portfolio districts are doing (CRPE’s pet ideology), start spouting how wonderful the charters are and how much growth these students have made, yet neglect to point out that their population does not reflect the nearby low-income population (yes Summit Charter School – I am referring to your numerous private school kids & north Seattle kids who are decidedly NOT low-income). She’ll also neglect to mention that the charters were fully funded with private funds, yet greedily took public funds as well when our lame OSPI made its money laundering arrangements with the Mary Walker SD supe (& ex-charter commission member), so they have DOUBLE the funds of public schools, cherry-picked students, and capped class sizes. I’m sure the empty-headed propagandist Campbell Brown & her sycophants and minions will chime in too, as well as the ethically-challenged WA State GOP and the DINOs who sold out public schools. Yay.
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“I’m surprised WEA is already jumping in with the lawsuit”
An expedited hearing would bring decision by August. The court is fully aware this is a time -sensitive issue.
An August decision allows charter students time to find an alternative educational solution. However, it is worth noting that the Court issued their opinion on Sept. 4th, school hadn’t begun, and charter schools refused to close.
The Charter Commission and charter schools opened while I 1240 was in the court system. Children were bussed to the state’s capital and used to lobby for a law that will, IMO, not withstand court scrutiny.
Charter schools were enrolling students during the legislative session, before a law had been passed.
I fully agree that local education associations and WEA could have, and should have done more organizing during the legislative session. WEA and the state’s largest teachers union- Seattle Education Association- did not organize rallies and protests in Olympia. With the exception of a couple local bloggers..those that unded the charter campaign controlled the message.
Several Supreme Court justices are up for re-election and I fully expect charter school supporters to be funding these races.
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During the I 1240 campaign, WEA decided to spend the majority of their time and resources getting a Democrat elected for Governor. In the end, Inslee sat on his hands. Inslee refused to sign- or veto- the charter bill. He was one of the few elected officials that did not take a public stance. IMO, citizens should not have to pay for another legal challenge.
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“She’ll also neglect to mention that the charters were fully funded with private funds, yet greedily took public funds as well when our lame OSPI made its money laundering arrangements with the Mary Walker SD supe (& ex-charter commission member), so they have DOUBLE the funds of public schools,”
Exactly. With the exception of a couple bloggers, you won’t hear a sound about Randy Dorn, the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, altering ALE rules to fund schools that were formed under an unconstitutional law. Yes, I 1240 was ruled unconstitutional, private funding was provided to charter schools AND Randy Dorn altered rules to fund charters with public dollars.
We’re looking at the tip of the iceberg and we can not allow charter schools to get a foothold in Washington state.
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Sarah in Seattle,
If charters get a foothold in Washington state, they will multiply like rabbits. All the children and parents in matching T-shirts will flood legislative hearings, demanding more money for charters, while 1 million children in public schools are in class. They will look adorable and lawmakers will melt as the kiddies carry signs about equality and justice.
This common charter tactic has always puzzled me. They already are enrolled in a charter. How many charters can they attend at once? Why are they lobbying? In whose interest? Who benefits?
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Dr Ravitch,
In paragraph 3, you coined a useful word, I think: “Demicrats.” I’m picturing a continuum of DINO – Demicrat – Democrat. For New Jersey folk, Cory Booker may come to mind.
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“Dimocrat” works pretty well, too. Typos provide a wealth of material for “stream of consciousness” brainstorming. The assumption is that when you see an older person staring off into space for an extended period of time, not much is going on in there. Well, having reached the age of indulging in these staring bouts, I want to let the youngsters here know that finally, rather than simply acting upon our thoughts, we are actually spending some time thinking about them! It’s a very healthy way of dealing with some of those more aggressive feelings that spares innocent victims in the real world. In my own virtual reality, I can decimate the bad guys without harming bystanders. So bring on the typos and indulge my fantasies!
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Booklady, thanks for catching the typo
I am writing on a cell phone in an airplane and lucky there aren’t more of them
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CORP-O-Rat works well, too. Washington state had TEN democrats abandon the party platform and they allowed a flawed charter school bill to pass into law.
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Booklady,
Dimocraps is the proper term as is Rethuglicans.
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Demi-crats. PERFECT new word! I just call them closet conservatives.
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“If charters get a foothold in Washington state, they will multiply like rabbits”
I am in complete agreement. If the court strikes down 6194, I’m sure there will be another legislative battle next year. As I understand it, Senate Rs are holding educational funding hostage to charter schools.
Dora Taylor captures the story:
“Chad Magendanz Let me be clear: The biggest political obstacle to wrapping up McCleary right now is a charter school fix. If the Speaker won’t allow a vote, McCleary doesn’t have a chance. Is the teachers union willing to risk $3 billion per biennium just so that 1300 at-risk kids have fewer options?”
I am not expecting the main-stream media to capture these stories. IMO, they are all afraid of Gates.
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“Courting Bill Gates”
If Gates were made to pay
For every teacher fired
He’d have a date each day
In court he would be mired
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I hope the parents, students and taxpayers come out in droves to oppose the funding, and won’t some pro public school group file an amicus brief?
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I see Judges for Justice (J4J) forming now as we speak. Ana abbreviated law program and a fast-track to the bench. No experience necessary. That just gets in the way. Just like teaching, or so they might argue.
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In California the unions, CTA and CFT both support state funding for charter schools. Don’t let them californicate Washington schools.
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Why would unions support state funding for nonunion schools?
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