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Tacoma shows new interest in charter schools
Board members say questions that stopped them from filing an application last year have been answered Tacoma Public Schools will submit a second letter of intent to state officials, indicating the district’s renewed interest in possibly becoming an authorizer of charter schools. But the soonest a charter school could open in Tacoma with the district’s … Read More
Washington’s charter-school pioneers need to be bold
Three Washington educators are at the forefront of the state’s new charter school effort. Columnist Lynne K. Varner welcomes them to this exciting endeavor. Today I’m welcoming to the scene three Washington state educators with huge ambitions to raise high-school graduation rates and enroll more kids in college. Their success could serve as a blueprint … Read More
Three women and a charter schools movement
My column this week features three longtime Washington educators preparing to launch three separate public charter schools. Brenda McDonald, Kristina Bellamy-McClain and Maggie O’Sullivan are working with the Washington State Charter Schools Association. These women are bright, experienced and have strong ties in the communities they’re choosing to locate their schools. McDonald’s entry into the … Read More
Spokane Public Schools taking proposals as cutoff nears
Seven years of foreign language. Extra math and science. Nine-hour school days and an extended school year. These are the makings of a charter school planned for Spokane next year. Brenda McDonald plans to submit an application to Spokane Public Schools to start Pride Prep, a free college preparatory school for sixth- through 12th-graders considered … Read More
First Washington District Chosen to Authorize Charters
The 29,000-student Spokane Public Schools in Eastern Washington has been tapped to be the first school district in the state to authorize charter schools, following voters’ approval of charters in the 2012 election. The district was approved as a charter authorizer by the Washington State Board of Education yesterday and could see approved charters opening … Read More
Spokane to have first charter school
Spokane could have the first charter school in Washington by next fall. It will be a historic and controversial development closely watched by school administrators, teachers, politicians and education reformists throughout the state. Voters approved charter schools last year, and Spokane Public Schools has dashed to be among the first districts to allow the independent … Read More
Rules for charter schools approved
An independent panel Thursday approved the rules it will follow in authorizing Washington’s first charter schools early next year. Meeting at Everett Community College, the Washington Charter School Commission spelled out what potential operators must put in their application and what criteria will be used to evaluate the performance of their publicly funded, independently run … Read More
Ahead of the Curve
There are 295 school districts across the state of Washington. And so far only one, Spokane Public Schools, has opted to become a charter school authorizer. One reason, Superintendent Shelley Redinger says, is because local district leadership has experience in the charter school world. “When I was in Oregon as a superintendent, we jumped on … Read More
Spokane Public Schools step closer to charter schools
Spokane Public Schools is on its way to establishing the first charter school in Washington. That should come as no surprise: Superintendent Shelley Redinger announced the district’s desire for a charter school before final votes were tallied on the initiative in November. Spokane Public Schools, the state’s second-largest district, was the only district to apply by … Read More
Editorial: Charter Schools Association an ally in shaping new schools
This editorial about the Association ran in The Seattle Times on Sunday, July 7. SKEPTICS and proponents of charter schools have a new ally. The Charter Schools Association sees the potential of innovative nontraditional public schools, but is smartly branding itself as an incubator for quality efforts and a watchdog ensuring those efforts yield results. Created by … Read More