More Gates dollars aim to bring charters to WA

May 28, 2013 @ 12:41 pm (Updated: 12:57 pm - 5/28/13 )

SEATTLE (AP) - With the opening of Washington's first charter school likely 15 months away, more dollars from Seattle's tech economy are flowing toward groups that want to change the way the state thinks about public schools.

In November, Washington became the 42nd state to allow the independent public schools. The initiative campaign succeeded in part because of money from Seattle's tech economy - Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates donated $3 million, outside his charitable foundation, first for the signature gathering effort and later to promote the initiative. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen donated $1.5 million.

The voter-approved plan would open as many as 40 charter schools over five years.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has now pledged nearly $800,000 to start a new charter school incubator to give charter schools extra help with start-up planning . Run by the League of Education Voters, the Charter Schools Association will begin by helping groups that want to start a charter school write their application.

Eventually the group also hopes provide leadership training and advocate for charter schools in Washington state government, said Chris Korsmo, CEO of the League of Education Voters. Charter school incubators like this new Washington group are common in other states where the schools are gaining a foothold, experts say.

The Gates money was a start-up grant to get the organization going, but Korsmo expects the organization will get money from other sources, including out-of-state foundations.

Opponents of charter schools say they have a mixed track record in other states and there are no guarantees that the ones that open here would be successful. They also worry that charters will take money away from regular public schools.

But those in favor of the independent public schools say they can do things like help minority and low-income students improve their learning, close the achievement gap and head to college.

Daphne Moore of the Walton Family Foundation said her Bentonville, Ark, organization is paying close attention to what is happening in Washington state, but won't make any grants until the beginning of next year.

"We work with a number of different groups to support the development of high quality charters," Moore said. "It's all about giving parents high quality choices."

Representatives of the Gates Foundation said they are interested in Washington's new charter incubator as part of the foundation's national goal to support public schools. In the past few years, Gates has supported similar charter support groups in Connecticut, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Texas and Colorado.

"Charters are one significant tool we're trying to use in Washington state," said David Bley, director of the foundation's Pacific Northwest work.

Some of the foundation's other education efforts in the state include helping schools adopt the new national academic standards and supporting colleges to improve their graduation rates.

Concerning charters, foundation staff is helping in Washington in a few other ways, Bley said. They've offered advice and made connections for the Charter School Commission and the State Board of Education.

"The school year starting 2014 is not so far away," he said, concerning the date when most people expect Washington's first charter schools to open. "It will take some time to get this done right." Bley added.

Korsmo said the League of Education Voters wants to make the most impact it can by helping people who are focused on serving kids who haven't been served well in regular public schools.

In addition to helping them set their academic plans, find a facility, find a staff and train them, and comply with both federal and state laws, the association would like to see the new schools collaborate.

The association also would like to see school districts and charter schools work together to learn from each other and help as many kids as possible.

"There's more interest and willingness to step out of the traditional box," she said of the districts that work closely with charter schools.

____

Contact Donna Blankinship at https://twitter.com/dgblankinship


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (12)


  • Add A Comment

  • Ted Bundi wrote...
    "...a new statewide commission or a local school board..."
    November 7, 2012 8:10 pm
    Thats why I voted no. More gov jobs at the cost of kids education.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SickofSeattleite wrote...
    nothing has been said or decided that
    November 17, 2012 7:38 am
    charter schools would be gov jobs. What are you talking about?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • irony wrote...
    charter schools are privately run
    January 9, 2013 2:21 pm
    no gov't union workers are hired.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Pair o'dimes wrote...
    I believe you are incorrect
    February 24, 2013 9:50 am
    Charter schools can be established and run by an existing school district and staffed with school district teachers. Charters schools will be overseen by the public school system. The distinction is in the opportunity to to depart from state mandated curriculum. In fact if the schools were private the charter school initiative would not apply.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 2shbag wrote...
    I vote no...
    November 13, 2012 9:49 am
    ....on anything that the government is required to lift a pen, the price of the ink will be 10X by the time it dries.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SickofSeattleite wrote...
    i voted yes
    November 17, 2012 7:36 am
    because i want more than 1 choice. Currently my kids are at the worst school in the district...not even half are approaching basic math and reading standards. I should get another CHOICE for my kids!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • WAmovesRight wrote...
    The difference is staggering...
    November 17, 2012 8:49 am
    ... so when it's gay marriage you have government employees bending over backwords, working over time, and ovlunteering Sundays to make it happen just as quickly as possible....

    But, when it's better education for children the government says probably not even a year from now and one even wants to sue to block the progress...

    Very balanced, WA... very balanced... Good grief!

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • irony wrote...
    it's about time
    January 9, 2013 2:25 pm
    with proper monitoring to make sure the 1% who try to profit without being responsible. it's better progress for students accross the board.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Seattle School District Exposed wrote...
    The Charter School Push back A Day Late and $20 Million Short
    January 10, 2013 1:02 am
    o a large degree, the Education Advocate/Parent community in Seattle doesn't support charter schools. Early this summer, Initiative 1240 garnered enough support to be put on the November 2012 ballot. We heard it brewing. We knew it was coming. With the mega-funding from Gates Foundation, Wal -Mart (the Walton foundation), and the Fishers, it was no problem for the pro-Charter crowd to hire an army of signature gatherers to collect signatures and "inform" the public on the merits of charter schools, putting the initiative on the ballot in record time, Yet, after the signatures were gathered, a curious thing happened. Nothing. Yes, lots of complaining, some grumblings and criticisms from the blogasphere, but NO ORGANIZED PUSH BACK. With no one at the helm of the organized anti-charter school contingency, the Pro-Charter school forces gained a lot of credibility. It also didn't hurt their cause that Seattle School District No. 1 had been making deleterious decisions which harmed families, such as school closures and neighborhood schools -the New Student Assignment plan, These derisive decisions were practically free advertising for I-1240. $20 million is a lot to stare down. But no organized push back is worse. How could this be? If any of you think that the anti-charter movement is to be won on principal, then you are wrong. In politics, the cause doesn't let the opposition redefine them for eight months without a push back. So what happened to the push back? A well organized, well funded initiative cannot be defeated without, at the minimum, some organization and yes, some funds. So, to the anti-charter contingency, this is a call to arms.Yours is a useless position of you don't back up the "NO on I-1240." Find those really disgruntled, downtrodden, picked on, lied-to parents and explain to them why this initiative will make things worse for them, not better in Seattle, and not everyone can afford to jump ship to private schools.. Parents are desperate. Let them know that, though education funds are spread thin, it will be even thinner. Home made yard signs.... stop fellow shoppers at the supermarket with kids. Ask them what they think about fewer funds for public schools. You will be surprised at the support in your own back yard. Let us know what you think. Email us at NICKESPARZA@seattleschooldistrictexposed.com http://seattleschooldistrictexposed.blogspot.com/
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Seattle School District Exposed wrote...
    The Charter School Push back A Day Late and $20 Million Short
    January 10, 2013 1:07 am
    To a large degree, the Education Advocate/Parent community in Seattle doesn't support charter schools. Early this summer, Initiative 1240 garnered enough support to be put on the November 2012 ballot. We heard it brewing. We knew it was coming. With the mega-funding from Gates Foundation, Wal -Mart (the Walton foundation), and the Fishers, it was no problem for the pro-Charter crowd to hire an army of signature gatherers to collect signatures and "inform" the public on the merits of charter schools, putting the initiative on the ballot in record time, Yet, after the signatures were gathered, a curious thing happened. Nothing. Yes, lots of complaining, some grumblings and criticisms from the blogasphere, but NO ORGANIZED PUSH BACK. With no one at the helm of the organized anti-charter school contingency, the Pro-Charter school forces gained a lot of credibility. It also didn't hurt their cause that Seattle School District No. 1 had been making deleterious decisions which harmed families, such as school closures and neighborhood schools -the New Student Assignment plan, These derisive decisions were practically free advertising for I-1240. $20 million is a lot to stare down. But no organized push back is worse. How could this be? If any of you think that the anti-charter movement is to be won on principal, then you are wrong. In politics, the cause doesn't let the opposition redefine them for eight months without a push back. So what happened to the push back? A well organized, well funded initiative cannot be defeated without, at the minimum, some organization and yes, some funds. So, to the anti-charter contingency, this is a call to arms.Yours is a useless position of you don't back up the "NO on I-1240." Find those really disgruntled, downtrodden, picked on, lied-to parents and explain to them why this initiative will make things worse for them, not better in Seattle, and not everyone can afford to jump ship to private schools.. Parents are desperate. Let them know that, though education funds are spread thin, it will be even thinner. Home made yard signs.... stop fellow shoppers at the supermarket with kids. Ask them what they think about fewer funds for public schools. You will be surprised at the support in your own back yard. Let us know what you think. Email us at NICKESPARZA@seattleschooldistrictexposed.com http://seattleschooldistrictexposed.blogspot.com/
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Largent803 wrote...
    The Reason I voted for Charter Schools
    March 6, 2013 11:14 am
    Currently in this country we are spending the most amount of money per child and yet the test scores are not even at college level. The following website compares what we spend vs the rest of the world. Included is how our test compare to them as well. http://rossieronline.usc.edu/u-s-education-versus-the-world-infographic/ If charter schools can start to get things going in the right direction than I am all for it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • imanegro wrote...
    If the teachers union is against it
    May 28, 2013 1:46 pm
    Then it must be good for kids. Keep going, charter schools. Besides, competition is the way it should be done. Everyone benefits from competition.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }