Blog
First Place Opening Event Photos
Seattle – Last week we were thrilled to celebrate the opening of First Place Scholars Charter School – Washington state’s first public charter school. Opening its doors in Seattle’s Central District, First Place welcomed 98 students in grades K-5....
Public Forums Announced
The Washington State Charter School Commission and Spokane Public Schools have announced the schedules of public forums for schools seeking authorization in October. There are four schools that submitted applications to the Commission and another...
What They Are Saying About Thomas Franta…
“We are pleased that the Washington State Charter Schools Association has made a strong selection in Tom Franta to lead the growing public charter school movement in the state. We are encouraged by Tom’s commitment to advocate for strong...
In Case You Missed It: Spokane Public Schools to consider three charter school proposals
Three separate and vastly different organizations met the June 15 deadline to file notices of intent with Spokane Public Schools to open charter schools in Spokane for the 2015-2016 school year, including iLEAD, an organization whose charter was...
Influence A New School in Seattle: Green Dot Community Events July 7-8
Greetings Friends and Supporters!Green Dot Public Schools has submitted a letter of intent to open a 6th-12th grade public charter school in South Seattle in 2016-17. Green Dot invites you to join them for two community forums to discuss your...
Editorial: Lawmakers should help others help charters
The Spokesman-Review June 10, 2014 When Washington approves a charter school, it doesn’t come with a check. By the time the first eight have opened their doors – most in August 2015 – supporters of each may have ventured as much as $2 million for...
Op-ed: “Why we are betting on Washington State charters”
Today, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s Flypaper blog published an opinion piece that I co-wrote with Terry Ryan, president of the Idaho Charter School Network. As part of their “Charter School Policy Wonk-a-Thon,” Fordham challenged a number of...
Spokane Public Schools announces new RFP info session
From Spokane Public Schools:"We are pleased to share new information about the Spokane Public Schools 2014 Charter School Request for Proposals (RFP). First, as stated in the RFP, the Fluid Review online application submission portal is now...
Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grant Announced :: WA Charters hosts training
The US Department of Education announced that the applications for the the Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grant are available.From the Federal Register:"The purpose of the CSP is to increase national understanding of the charter school model by...