Claudia Rowe reports in the Seattle Times on continued expansion of the state’s charter public schools. In a relatively short article, she uses the example of Natalie Hester, a parent in the Seattle.
Hester was, and remains, a parent with children in Seattle Public Schools. But after her younger daughter encountered four first-year elementary teachers in a row — and continued to struggle academically — Hester began to wonder if there was a better answer.
Her older daughter, meanwhile, was having difficulty with math, and Hester worried that it might hinder the teen’s chances for college.
According to numbers from the Washington Charter Association, similar concerns have drawn the families of 2,500 students toward charter schools, which tout a more flexible approach to education, better tailored to student needs.
Rowe writes of the challenges facing charter public schools in Washington, which was among the last states to pass a law permitting them. Lawsuits and organized opposition, led by the Washington Education Association, we submit is the primary reason they’ve been “slow to catch” on here. A lawsuit filed by the WEA was turned away by a King County judge in February. We wrote about it here.
Parents seeking expanded learning opportunities for their children eagerly have been stalwart in supporting the schools. Hester, as Rowe reports, just wanted to give her children the best possible chance for academic achievement.
The legality of these publicly funded schools exempt from certain regulations remains in limbo. But that did not deter Natalie Hester from jumping in — first, by enrolling her daughter in one of Washington’s first charters, Summit Sierra in Seattle; and now, by helping to build a brand-new network of them called Impact Public Schools…
“I knew the risks,” said Hester, referring to a lawsuit filed in 2015 by a union-led coalition asserting Washington’s statute was unconstitutional. “But I thought it was a risk worth taking. We have to have some other options for kids.”
She’s far from alone, as Rowe reports:
According to numbers from the Washington Charter Association, similar concerns have drawn the families of 2,500 students toward charter schools, which tout a more flexible approach to education, better tailored to student needs.
After the February ruling, editorial boards around the state urged the opponents not to appeal the decision. Rowe reports the WEA has appealed. That’s unfortunate. But this is encouraging:
Though challenges remain, victories at the ballot box, before the courts and within the Legislature have made charter families increasingly confident, said Cynara Lilly, a spokeswoman for the state association.
As we concluded our post last February on the court ruling,
Among the remarkable aspects of these unwarranted lawsuits from the WEA and its allies (several of which were denied standing by Judge Chun) is the energy and money spent in attacking a charter school law considered the best in the nation.
It would be best for all concerned to let this be the last chapter in the saga. Let the decision stand and focus on improving public education for all students, those in traditional public schools and those in charter public schools.
Let it be so.
