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A Parent’s Letter to Senator Hasegawa: Please Listen
I am a public school parent from Seattle, Washington. My teenage son Miles is enrolled in Rainier Prep, a public charter middle school in South King County. Since doors opened last fall, I’ve watched Miles learn to love school. Since the state Supreme Court issued a ruling that threatens to close his school, we’ve been … Read More
Parent Perspective: For my family, it’s about the freedom to choose the best fit
Since the State Supreme Court ruled Washington’s voter-approved public charter school law unconstitutional, we’ve heard from hundreds of parents who passionately want to see charter schools continue—as they’re already seeing positive results in their kids. For parents like Shirline Wilson, whose son Miles attends middle school at Rainier Prep in Highline, access to public charter … Read More
Attorney General asks Supreme Court to reconsider charter school ruling
This afternoon, Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a Motion for Reconsideration in response to the State Supreme Court’s ruling on our voter-approved public charter school law. A news release from his office said the Court’s opinion “goes beyond what is necessary to resolve this case, creates tension with other decisions of this court, and calls into question … Read More
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 curriculum materials, equipment and, most importantly, a building students can … Read More
A Teacher’s View: Charter schools will help at-risk students
A retired public school teacher, Cathy Smith recently shared her thoughts on public charter schools in The Olympian. As she states, charter schools will help at-risk students. … I recently retired from a 30-year teaching career with a smile and a sense of satisfaction, a job I thought well done. During the following weeks and months, I spent … Read More
Charter School Proposals Could Pave Way for Education Ideas
Washington state, ahead of the national curve in so many areas of public policy, is a notable laggard on the issue of charter schools. Washington finally joined 41 other states and the District of Columbia in authorizing the schools last November, when voters narrowly approved Initiative 1240. A charter school is a public school that … 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
Op-ed: Charter schools should ignite change for the better
This op-ed piece, written by Lyle Quasim, appeared in The News Tribune on April 14, 2013. I applaud the Tacoma School Board for signaling an interest in becoming a public charter school authorizer. It’s time that our community learned more about public charter schools. We need to know how top-performing public charters advance student achievement … Read More
New charter school commission can learn from other states
Based on 20 years of experience in other states, the nine members of the recently appointed State Charter School Commission are in for hard work, long hours and difficult deliberations. Whether or not charter schools in Washington produce quality outcomes for students will depend on these commission members and the school districts that will approve … Read More
Editorial: Strong appointees power state’s charter-school commission
The nine appointed to Washington’s new charter-school commission could offer a powerful vision on non-traditional public schools. WASHINGTON’S newly appointed charter-school commission holds strong promise for delivering on expectations of high-quality public charter schools. Voters approved Initiative 1240 to explore the potential of charters to improve education. Gov. Jay Inslee, Lt. Gov. Brad Owen and … Read More