In these days of concern over school funding, it is encouraging to see that state education officials have approved and funded a new public high school, a charter school, in Seattle.  The new school is set to serve some of Seattle neediest families, and will open in the fall as the Rainier Valley Leadership Academy, operated by the respected Green Dot network.

Seattle school board president Leslie Harris, however, doesn’t want families in the Rainier Valley to have access to this new learning opportunity.  She is proposing a resolution to deny zoning permission to build the new school, even though state officials have approved funding.  The full board is scheduled to vote on her school-ban proposal on January 3rd.

It’s interesting that Boardmember Harris’ opposition would fall hardest on black and brown children living in the community.

Seattle’s zoning code, like that of most cities, is designed to encourage the building of neighborhood schools, so children don’t have to walk far to attend school.  The zoning code states:

23.51B.002 - Public schools in residential zones 

A.    New public schools or additions to existing public schools and accessory uses including child care centers that meet the applicable development standards of this Chapter 23.51B are permitted outright.

The Green Dot system is known for providing excellent public schools, especially in some of the most challenging neighborhoods.  One such school, the popular Rainier Valley Leadership Middle School, is already serving children in the community.  Green Dot is rated by Newsweek Magazine and U.S. News and World Report as among “America’s Best High Schools.”

The Seattle Times says: “Green Dot sites its programs in low-income neighborhoods, drawing kids who have struggled academically.

In addition, two other successful charter schools, Summit Sierra in the International District, and Summit Atlas in West Seattle, are already serving low-income families.

The new Rainier Valley Leadership Academy will serve 700 students, and is funded at $7.8 million in state and federal funds.  This is about $3,700 less per student than other Seattle public schools, because charter school families are not given local levy funding.

Opposition to school choice is not so much a left vs. right issue than an internal fight among Democrats, a trend noted recently by Wall Street Journal writer Jason Riley.  That tension is at play in Seattle.  The state charter school law passed the legislature with Democratic votes, and Democratically-appointed education officials approved and funded the newest school in the low-income Rainier Valley neighborhood.

Yet elected Democrats in Seattle oppose charter school families, and consistently take steps to close their schools.  Leslie Harris’ action is just the latest effort in this regard.  Executives at the WEA union are pursuing a lawsuit to close every charter school in Washington, including those that serve the state’s poorest families.

The Harris resolution would promote inequity, since the schools of families in wealthy neighborhoods would remain untouched.  Her resolution targets low-income and minority parents, whose only “offense” is they want their children to have access to a better public education.

Boardmember Harris sees charter school families as a threat to the system.  She says she wants to “protect the entire school district,” even if that means closing a fully-funded school that parents want.

Over 470 children attend charter public schools in Seattle, and most charters have waiting lists.  Several hundred families want their children to attend Rainier Valley Academy, if the Harris resolution doesn’t stop them first.

In that spirit, let’s hope the other School Board members reject this mean-spirited resolution and support families instead.  Education is the best path out of poverty, one that open minds and opens the door to a better life, so that every child learns to his or her greatest potential.

And that is exactly what the caring people behind Seattle’s newest high school are trying to provide.