Child advocates in Washington state were disappointed, but not surprised, on hearing the news yesterday that lawyers and executives at the powerful WEA union are going after charter school children again. The WEA’s earlier effort against public charter schools failed spectacularly last spring when the Legislature voted to save charter schools by passing a new charter school law, SB 6194. Even Governor Jay Inslee could not bring himself to veto the bill---letting it become law without his signature.   

Yesterday WEA union lawyer Paul Lawrence filed a new lawsuit against charter schools in King County Superior Court. As my timeline here shows, this is the second time the WEA has turned to the courts to hurt charter school families. The WEA often uses the mantra “it’s for the children” to justify their demands for more money and power (see the controversial McCleary school funding case). Yet this new lawsuit exposes the union's mission is decidedly not “for the children.” Its mission is pure self-interest; to maintain its power over public education by closing charter schools.

The WEA union has lost the battle in the court of public opinion over charter schools. Twice the people of Washington state have said they want to offer a charter school option to children underserved by the traditional school they’ve been assigned by zip code. The shining moment arrived the evening of March 9, 2016, in the Legislature. Under the Capitol Dome, in the chamber of the House of Representatives, 10 Democrats and all 48 Republicans voted to pass SB 6194 to save charter schools. That evening it became crystal clear to every child advocate in Washington state that charter schools are here to stay.  

Like a bad loser, the WEA hopes its influence over certain judges may yield a different result. But the union’s new lawsuit is a tired retread of the same old arguments of its first lawsuit. These arguments do not apply to the state’s new charter school law. SB 6194 is fundamentally different from the 2012 law passed by voters, and any impartial judge, that is, any judge not seeking favor with the WEA union, will quickly see that.  

What is the purpose of the WEA’s renewed attack on charter school families? The WEA hopes this new lawsuit will intimidate and discourage families from enrolling their children in charter schools.  Lawsuits and strikes. These are the tactics of big muscle and power the WEA routinely uses against children and their families.

But charter school families won’t be intimidated. They are not afraid. Charter school mothers, fathers and students have already testified before legislative committees in Olympia, appeared on TV, written their legislators, and attended rallies. As the WEA lawsuit winds its slow way through the courts, charter school students will continue to learn and blossom under the fine tutelage of the teachers and leaders of our high-quality charter schools. By the time the lawsuit reaches the supreme court, there may be a very different group of justices deciding the fate of charter schools in Washington state.        

This report is part of WPC’s Charter School Follow-Up Project