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The WEA, League of Women Voters of Washington, and El Centro de la Raza sent a complaint letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson challenging the constitutionality of the state's new charter school law. (AP file photo)

Any charter school is one too many for state teachers' union

February 27, 2013 @ 5:38 pm (Updated: 5:39 am - 2/28/13 )

The Washington Education Association is challenging the law voters approved last fall to create up to 40 charter schools in the state within the next five years.

The WEA, which represents about 82,000 teachers in our state, didn't like the result of the public vote on Initiative 1240. While it was close - 50.7 percent of the voters in favor, 49.3 percent opposed - the measure to allow public charter schools in Washington passed.

Along with the WEA, the League of Women Voters of Washington and El Centro de la Raza sent a complaint letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson challenging the constitutionality of the state's new charter school law.

They say it violates the state constitution by "improperly diverting public school funds to private non-profit groups" that could potentially set up a charter school. Although, public schools could also create a specialty charter school.

"The Charter School Act drains money from public schools to privately run charter schools that aren't accountable to local voters -- taking away the right of citizens to elect representatives to oversee the spending of their taxes," says Catherine Ahl with the League of Women Voters.

A letter to the AG's office lists seven ways the charter schools law violates the constitution, in their view.

Their bottom line is, "the Charter School Act is an unconstitutional law that impedes the State's progress toward fully funding public education and places even greater pressure on school districts to fill this gap."

The Attorney General is not buying it.

"We all share the desire to provide the highest quality education for our children," Ferguson says in a statement. "As the state's attorney, it's my responsibility to defend the will of the voters and I will be directing my legal team to do so in this case."

If the AG's office doesn't act, the group says it will file a lawsuit in Superior Court.

Washington has over one-million students enrolled in public schools. About 73,000 students go to private schools, and another 15,000 are homeschooled. Voters decided in November to add charter schools as an option, with a priority given to schools and communities that serve at-risk students.

By LINDA THOMAS

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Comments (75)


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  • cigarfan wrote...
    What Charter school advocates do not mention.......
    February 28, 2013 7:33 am
    That Charter schools are FOR PROFIT and DE-professionalize the instruction. Instead of having teachers with MA's & BA's, the Charter instructors do not have the same qualifications as public school Teachers. In addition, the focus of a Charter school is PROFIT. The only accountability a parent receives is "you know where the door is". -No elections of leadership, no democracy.
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  • mobeta wrote...
    For profit
    February 28, 2013 8:34 am
    Yeah the teachers and administrators profit and are fleecing the system plus doing a terrible job teaching our kids what they REALLY need to succeed in the world's work place. We are getting our butts handed to us and rate 29th in the world regarding educating our kids. Give me a break. We'v done it this way for years and we are tired of getting fleeced under the disguise of helping the kids. What a bunch of bull. You must be part of the problem and that's why you are defending a system that is not working.
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  • Oly80 wrote...
    yeah!
    February 28, 2013 11:08 am
    stupid teachers. getting rich off the american taxpayer.

    when i think, "I how do I make my millions?" the answer is always, "i know! i'll be a teacher."

    i can't even COUNT the number or rich teachers i know!

    because they don't exist, unless their spouse is rich, or they've got family money.

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  • mnpat wrote...
    Yeah there is such a shortage of teachers,
    February 28, 2013 2:00 pm
    Pay is pretty darn good plus tenure that goes with it, where else can someone in the private economy work for three years and then is guaranteed a job for the rest of their life.....and you work 8 months a years and compare that salary to those that work 12 months a year.....amazing enough the sick days they get each year are always used up as well.....imagine that.
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  • cigarfan wrote...
    @mobeta
    February 28, 2013 1:48 pm
    What did I say that was bull? Explain.
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  • Lonestar wrote...
    Two ways the WEA is unconstitutional
    February 28, 2013 8:05 am
    In "closed shop" states like Washington, public teachers are forced to join the WEA and union dues are confiscated from their pay. This practice violates constitutional guarantees of freedom of association and freedom of speech. Politicians and judges won't act, however, because they are in on the extortion scam.
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  • rkris1 wrote...
    this comment thread is ample evidence
    February 28, 2013 8:17 am
    of how poorly our system of education is functioning.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ratrustle wrote...
    But seriously...
    February 28, 2013 8:19 am
    Aren't tax dollars required to be spent in the most effective manner? I'm a product of the public school system and I did well but I remember sitting in class waiting for half the class to catch up. Great if you're in the bottom half -- not so great if you're actually there to learn. If we're not getting what we're paying for with the current system we're entitled to a better system. At least I thought so? This is not a jobs program for an ineffective teaching system is it? You only have to look at the City of New Orleans. They "re-invented" their school system based upon the Charter School system after Katrina. I beg all of you Charter School "haters" to look at the results.
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  • Vortex of the Public Eye wrote...
    WA Teachers should strike...
    February 28, 2013 9:18 am
    Against the WEA that is. Seriously public instructors, dump the WEA.
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  • jkdonner wrote...
    illegals and superintendents take all the money
    February 28, 2013 9:53 am
    Our funds are being wasted at the district level. Look and see what the people that work at the district offices are making. I believe the Seattle school superintendent is making with bonuses 250K plus. Our children don't learn anything because all of our schools are over crowded. Mostly by illegals. When the teacher has to slow down and help those that don't speak english that is a problem. Then we have to hire teachers that speak more than one language. Federal Way school district has 28 different languages - WHY. Those 2 issues alone are about 60% of the schools problems. These union teachers that are pieces of crap that have their tenure are worried about their jobs as they should be. That is what charter schools do is allow the schools to choose their curriculm and the teachers they want not who they are stuck with. Soooo glad my kids are grown
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  • hnuh wrote...
    02-28-2013...YIKES!
    February 28, 2013 10:36 am
    A lot of upset people on this one. Public schools are the fundamental indoctrination system of the American left. Charter schools, which may possibly not hold to the hard line statist quasi-socialist creed the public schools obtain are a threat to all collectivists and state totalitarian leftists. This thread dmonstrates that in blatant relief. I advised my son not to allow his children to attend public state run schools at any level, as they will continue to become more and more aggressive indoctrinators and they have destroyed enough minds already.
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  • flipper wrote...
    Wow
    February 28, 2013 10:37 am
    I guess that the successes and better teaching done in charter schools in a number of other states must be something the WEA can't deal with. Twits.
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  • cigarfan wrote...
    @flipper
    February 28, 2013 1:49 pm
    Better teaching? How do you get better teaching from teachers who are not even professionals?
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  • hnuh wrote...
    oh yes... la raza...
    February 28, 2013 10:41 am
    The race. This is not talking about anything but the European/Indian mix. They have statues commemorating "the race" in Mexico. They are very proud, and rightly so. La raza is very specifically a racist organization. It is based only on race, and it looks only to aggrandize that race. Were it a white organization it would be demonized to the very ends of the earth. NAAWP anyone?
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  • HLC wrote...
    cigarfan?
    February 28, 2013 10:48 am
    I'm not sure what you mean by de-professionalize? If you mean not a requirement to follow the liberal doctrine that is taught by the union teachers that could only be a plus. It's hard for a parent to explain things correctly to a child when a teacher is drilling the child with their liberal garbage. The teachers union only goal is to teach the children how to vote the union way. It ain't working people. Luckily I went to school before the unions got dug in. I had mostly great teachers.
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  • cigarfan wrote...
    @HLC
    February 28, 2013 1:51 pm
    I tried to spell it out, de-professionalize means that the corporate FOR-PROFIT charter schools use instructors who are not professional. This means they have at least a BA and preferable MA. I can't spell it out any clearer.
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