Charter schools are officially saved in Washington state.
Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, announced Friday that he will let a bill to save charter schools become law without the governor’s signature. According to the Seattle Times, a bill hasn’t become law without the governor’s signature in 35 years.
“Despite my deep reservations about the weakness of the taxpayer accountability provisions, I will not close schools,” Inslee wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Kim Wyman.
Charter school advocates celebrated the decision without praising Inslee for his inaction. “Washington lawmakers have not only given hope to the hundreds of parents who currently have their children attending charter public schools in Washington, but also to the thousands of others who will now have an opportunity to enroll their children in high-quality charter public schools in the future,” Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said in a press release. “The bipartisan support for the bill from the legislature is a testament to the hard work of the parents, students, educators, and advocates who led this fight and succeeded in changing hearts and minds throughout the state.”
Inslee’s decision to let the bill become law without his signature adds to an intriguing history of Washington’s charter school battle. The schools were initially approved in 2012 during a narrow ballot referendum victory, with 50.7 percent of voters in favor of the law.
In September 2015, the state Supreme Court ruled that law unconstitutional. The new law should get around the public funding issues from that lawsuit, but further legal action is expected from charter opponents. “It’s something we’re expecting and that we believe we’re very much prepared for,” said Tom Franta, CEO of the Washington State Charter Schools Association.
Inslee initially appeared to oppose saving the charter schools when he refused to call a special legislative session to fix the charter law. He also opposed charters during his 2012 gubernatorial campaign.
The state’s largest teachers’ union opposes charter schools. It financially supported the campaigns of the state Supreme Court justices who ruled the schools unconstitutional and endorsed Inslee for re-election in March.
During the state’s brief legislative session this winter, there were times when the charter school bill seemed dead. But right before the session was about to end, the bill passed in the House and the Senate approved the House version in a narrow 26-23 vote.
With charter schools saved, one parent explained to me in March what this means for her family. “Hope. Hope and a relief. The promise of something better. … All we want as parents is choice. Just to have back that power as a parent, I can’t even put into words.”
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
