OLYMPIA — Charter schools would be constitutional in Washington state under the system proposed by this year’s ballot initiative, Attorney general and would-be governor Rob McKenna said Tuesday.
Answering questions about charter schools during a weekly press conference, which he supports, McKenna dismissed any concerns that the separately established schools would be unconstitutional.
“It clearly is (constitutional) because the schools are public charter schools,” he said. “They are public schools so they are constitutional.”
It wouldn’t matter that the commission that would oversee charter operations statewide is appointed, while public school boards are elected, he said. Public universities’ boards of regents and trustees are appointed, too, he said. …