CharterSchoolsEl2012
There are ballots left to be counted, but backers of Washington's charter school initiative have claimed victory. (AP Photo)

Wash. Charter School Commission elects leaders

May 1, 2013 @ 1:53 pm

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SEATTLE (AP) - Washington's new Charter School Commission elected a former Seattle School Board president as its chairman.

The group also has started to solidify its plans for hiring a staff and choosing the state's first charter schools. The group held its second meeting Tuesday in Bellevue.

Steve Sundquist, who served on the Seattle School Board from 2007 to 2011, including one year as president and two years as vice president, said Wednesday that the new charter school law and the State Board of Education have set an ambitious agenda for the group.

The group is tentatively scheduled to start accepting applications for charter schools by Sept. 22. The State Board of Education has proposed a fast turnaround on those applications, calling for decisions by the end of January.

"It's all fast, very fast," Sundquist said. His group plans to ask the state board for a little more time, at least for the first year.

Voters in November approved an initiative that would bring charter schools to Washington. The first schools are expected to open in fall 2014.

Two parallel processes are being set up to start up to 40 of the new public schools in five years: the Charter School Commission and local school boards that apply to be authorizers through the State Board of Education.

The State Board of Education is also setting general rules for both groups, including how to make sure the number of schools approved does not exceed the limits set by the new law.

For example, the proposed rules state that if more than the allowed number of schools are authorized, a lottery will be held to determine which schools get to open first.

The Charter School Commission also chose a vice chairman, Larry Wright, managing director of the Bellevue Arts Museum.

The commission is preparing to hire some staff and will post a job description for an executive director within the next few weeks, Sundquist said.


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (11)


  • 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" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }