Charter school parents, kids plead for help from state commission
Charter school kids, parents and even grandparents sent a heartfelt message begging for help from the state charter school commission at its meeting Thursday in Tacoma.
The commission and other charter supporters are grappling with a state Supreme Court decision this month that declared Washington’s charter law unconstitutional. (The commission issued a formal statement on the court ruling Friday.)
“As a student attending a charter school, I feel very lost in the conversation,” Zoe Mitchell, a student at Summit Sierra High School in Seattle, said in a letter. “I don’t want to leave this school so early in my efforts. I urge the legislature to consider coming back together to help us find a solution.”
“There is no greater local control than exercising my right to choose a high-quality public charter school option for my child,” said Moana Trammell, the grandmother of a student at SOAR Academy in Tacoma.
The Supreme Court struck down Washington’s charter school law, enacted in 2012 through a ballot initiative, after deciding the schools do not meet the constitutional definition of common schools because they’re not governed by elected school boards. Therefore, the court said, the publicly funded but privately operated schools are not entitled to state funding.
The ruling came weeks after nine charter schools — including three in Tacoma — opened their doors to more than 1,200 students statewide.
The Washington State Charter Schools Association has asked the court to extend the deadline for filing a motion for reconsideration. Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that he will file such a motion by the Sept. 24 deadline.
Charter association CEO Tom Franta said the group would like more time to “unpack the full scope of what was in the Supreme Court opinion.”
“We think there are multiple avenues that deserve reconsideration by the court and we want to make sure we are pulling them all out,” Franta said.
He said he believes, for example, that the court failed to consider the special case of the two Spokane charter schools. They were authorized by the Spokane School Board, not by the appointed state charter commission. (Spokane was the only Washington school district whose board decided to become a charter school authorizer under the new law. The Spokane School Board can hold those schools accountable and could close them if they don’t meet goals outlined in their charters.)
Franta’s association has pledged to raise enough money from grants and donations — about $14 million — to keep charter schools operating for at least the rest of this school year. He said financial support is coming from around the country, and the association hopes to announce next month the major sources of those donations.
Meanwhile, state school Superintendent Randy Dorn sent a letter to charter school parents saying his office is committed to ensuring that the education of their students won’t be disrupted.
Dorn said he would encourage local school districts to give charter students credits if they transfer back to traditional public schools, but credit transfers are up to individual districts. He also said charter students shouldn’t be punished or considered truant as they make the transition.
Dorn’s letter said his office is working with several public school districts that want to develop alternative programs that meet state requirements while providing options for students who have enrolled in charters. Dorn said his office would work with the state Board of Education to help expedite any charter school that wants to apply to become a state-approved private school.
Franta said several charters are researching whether working with public districts to create alternative programs is a viable option. Tacoma Public Schools spokesman Dan Voelpel said Tacoma is not part of that discussion.
Meanwhile, the Tacoma charter community pressed forward this week. Classes continued at all three of the city’s charter schools. And on Tuesday, Tacoma’s Destiny Charter Middle School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony that included charter supporter Mayor Marilyn Strickland and Tacoma poet laureate Cathy Nguyen.
“There are joyful things happening,” said Bree Dusseault, the state director of Green Dot Washington, which operates Destiny. “And there is a lot of passion.”
Voices from charter school supporters
A sampling of public comments made to the state charter school commission in Tacoma Thursday:
▪ “Many people believe these schools are a waste of taxpayer money, but that is not the case. These schools push to make sure each student succeeds in life. The current public schools attempt this, but Summit Public Schools has perfected this.”
— Kai Worley-Flannell, student at Summit Sierra High School in Seattle.
▪ “To see the faces of these diverse students, their families and supporters, has reminded me of why I have been in this fight for so long. They represent the profile of students charter schools were meant to serve. I have been an outspoken supporter of public charter schools for the past 14 years because I have witnessed the denial of an equitable and excellent education for far too many students whose lack of success has been and continues to be based on race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, zip code and other such distinguishing characteristics.”
— Thelma Jackson, board chair of SOAR Academy in Tacoma.
▪ “This is not a competition of who is better. It’s not us vs. them. This is about choice.”
— Kellie Richardson, parent of a student at Destiny Charter Middle School in Tacoma.
▪ “I am choosing between schools that have the capacity to meet the needs of my child and those that do not.”
— Calyn Holdaway, mother of special needs kids who applied to open a charter school in Pierce County.
This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Charter school parents, kids plead for help from state commission."