As the summer begins to wind down, parents from all across the state are starting to think about the back-to-school season and what they can do to prepare their child for the busy school year ahead. A new year brings new challenges, but also new hopes and dreams for our kids.
Along with parents, the Washington State Charter Schools Association has been thinking about the upcoming school year and our next steps in supporting the implementation of high-quality public charter schools in Washington state.
During our meetings with families and communities, we received a lot of questions about what’s next for charter school implementation. Here are a few important highlights.
In July, Spokane Public Schools took the first step to form public charter schools in Washington state by applying to become an authorizer. If approved, schools or nonprofit organizations can notify Spokane Public Schools of their interest in forming a charter school, and begin applying this fall. Approved charter schools could open by the 2014-15 school year. The Washington Board of Education will notify Spokane Public Schools about their authorizer request by September 12th. A full timeline for charter schools opening in 2014 is available online.
Spokane will not be the only authorizer in the state. The State Charter School Commission can also authorize charter schools across the state. Any approved authorizer will need to issue RFPs by September 22.
The Association hosted a number of workshops and events this summer, including a Charter Applications 101 workshop, a workshop on forming nonprofit organizations in Washington state, and a workshop on engaging families and communities in your school.
On Monday, September 9, join the Association and national expert Marci Cornell-Feist to learn about charter school board member recruitment and development.
This fall, the Association will be hosting more events to support charter schools in Washington state. Be sure to sign up for alerts, check out our Events page, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date and engaged.