Charter Schools Come to Washington
April 2004
On June 10th Washington will become the 41st state to allow charter schools, belatedly joining a reform movement that has brought new learning opportunities to students across the country. Charter schools are public schools run by community-based non-profit groups and are not bound by the tangle of rules and regulations that encumber schools in the traditional public system. Like other public schools, charter schools are funded by public education money and do not charge tuition.
Passed in March, the new state law permits the creation of 45 charter schools over the next six years, the majority of which will be focused on helping disadvantaged students. Between July 2004 and July 2007, five charter schools can be established each year and during the following three years, 10 charter schools per year can be established.
Nonprofit groups that start charter schools may be composed of parents, educators or other interested citizens. In Lewis County, for instance, parents are considering opening a charter school to save a local school that would otherwise be closed. Charter schools may not be run by religious or for-profit organizations. Organizations wishing to establish a new charter school or convert an existing school must draw up a contract (charter) that includes a detailed plan about how organizers plan to operate the school. The proposed educational program must help students meet the state's academic standards.
Applications to start a charter school must first be submitted to the local school board for approval. If the application is rejected at the local level, it may be forwarded to the state Superintendent of Public Instruction. Once a charter is approved it remains in effect for five years. During this time, a board chosen by the chartering organization operates the school according to the terms of the contract.
These will not be exclusive institutions reserved for the elite. Individual civil rights and equal access protections apply equally to charter schools as they do to other public schools. In addition, the law requires charter schools to focus on assisting students with limited English proficiency, special needs or disabilities, economic disadvantages or who are at risk of failing state and federal academic standards. Charter schools are subject to health and safety requirements, as well as the WASL test and other measures of academic success.
Charter schools converted from previously existing public schools must accept all the school's previous students who wish to enroll. If more new students apply than the school can accommodate, siblings will be given priority and then an impartial process such as a lottery must be used to allot any remaining spaces.
Professionals with strong academic qualifications, but without a formal teaching certificate, can be hired at charter schools along with certificated employees. In addition, teachers in traditional public schools can take a leave of absence of up to two years if they want to teach in a charter school.
Unlike public schools, a charter school will close automatically if students are not learning at satisfactory levels. A sponsor can revoke the five-year charter before it expires for emergency health and safety issues. If a warning is given and the school does not correct its deficiencies, charters can also be revoked early for violation of the contract or poor fiscal management. In addition, charters will not be renewed if the academic progress of charter school students in the most recent two years is inferior to the progress of other students in the school district. The standard of accountability is thus much higher for charter schools than for other public schools.
The union for public school teachers, the Washington Education Association, says it will try to put a referendum on the November ballot in an effort to stop charter schools from opening. If and when charter schools clear this final hurdle, exciting new educational opportunities will be open for students in Washington state.