Everyone has a story. What's yours?
 Linda Thomas
twitter: @TheNewsChick
About Linda
Linda is the morning news anchor and features reporter for KIRO Radio. This is her local news blog, with an emphasis on social media, technology, Northwest companies, education, parenting, and anything else that grabs her attention.

If you have a news tip or story idea, I'd love to hear from you...

To leave a voice message for Linda about any of her stories call toll free 1-855-251-2363

Follow Me on Pinterest


School.jpg
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

More from Linda Thomas

MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments (87)


  • Add A Comment

  • 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?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    hnuh
    February 28, 2013 2:37 pm
    Actually LaRaza celebrates who many of those of Mexican heritage really are.Read about Corky Gonzalez and his poem "I am Joaquin".Corky (Rodolfo) was one of the founders of the Chicano movement and was a political force when I lived in Denver in the 70s
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 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.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 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.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Vlastimil wrote...
    " The WEA,which represents about 82,000 teachers in our state"
    February 28, 2013 10:58 am
    That's all you need to know. The union is ONLY for the teachers and lazy administrators within its organization. They are greedy pigs that seek to crush any potential threat to its power structure even at the expense of children and their education. This story is more proof of this.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • seattleJohn wrote...
    The people have spoken...
    February 28, 2013 11:25 am
    They no longer want you! What don't you get?!?!?! Take your thumb out your arses and move on already. I voted for charter schools because teachers have to be good to work there or they get fired.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cigarfan wrote...
    @seattleJohn
    February 28, 2013 1:53 pm
    "have to be good"....I think you don't know much about teaching but alot about listening to right wing viewpoints.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Largent803 wrote...
    Our schools vs the World
    February 28, 2013 11:32 am
    Currently we really aren't getting what we paid for. I found this blog recently which compared U.S. Education vs the rest of the World. http://rossieronline.usc.edu/u-s-education-versus-the-world-infographic/ So in my opinion another option is not only needed it is required.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    bottom line is this...
    February 28, 2013 11:33 am
    IF charters start, many kids who do well anyway will head for the greener (in thought only) pastures of the charter schools scam. IT IS a scam. their score are actually PROVEN to not be any better and sometimes WORSE than public schools.

    this is bad because all it really does is leave the, shall we say, less desirable students in public schools. making life for public school teachers who, i know, according to some on this site, make too much money, don't work hard, are socialist, liberal, evil, devil, obama, satan, etc...MUCH more difficult.

    ALSO, charters can do that wonderful thing of ONLY taking the "good" kids and can give the "bad" ones the boot. PROBLEM IS where do those kids go? well, simple. let the public schools deal with 'em.

    it's flawed. Washington has been right to not have them. they exist in california, and there have been scandals involving cheating on state test to inflate scores. AND, issues about how much money they bring in and how some of those in charge are just raking it in and not using it for what it's supposed to be used for. the "for profit" schooling idea is flawed. they have an incentive to get the highest scores possible, so money keeps coming in. that leads to desperate: teachers/admins/etc to cheat on state tests.

    charters are a scam. corporations in education are a scam. money is being made. the kids don't even enter the equation until the end. by then, their needs pale to the bottom line.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • circuitfr wrote...
    SCAM
    February 28, 2013 1:00 pm
    SCAM SCAM SCAM....yup, our public schools are any better, huh? What kind of scam is it when half the high school grads can't pass a 8th grade exam from another country. What kind of scam is it when 95% of high school grads couldn't pass a test on the US Constitution. What kind of scam is it when 90% of the students couldn't even tell you who their state senators are. I'll take charter schools which should be privatized and homeschooling any day of the week..My family chooses homeschool. Why? They wanted my child to start kindergarten when he would of turned six later in the year because his birthday didn't fall on the right day...we had already been homeschooling for pre school and kindergarten when he was 4. I'm not going to have my son sit in a class and learn to color and listen to revisionist history when we already reads, writes, and does math at a second grade level in public school. If you want to truly let your child become their own individual and learn how to be sufficient and compassionate, teaching them yourself is the way to go. Most of us are so selfish to pop out 5 kids and then go back to work 1 week later. Why did you have kids if your not willing to take responsibility for them? Why is it the governments responsibility to teach your kids? Why do people choose to have kids out of wedlock, or make very poor decisions in who to marry. What don't people wait until they are financial stable to be able to provide? Too many selfish people out there who simply want kids, but then complain and moan when someone else doesn't take care of them...yeeha.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    home school.
    February 28, 2013 1:35 pm
    enough said.

    followed by a bunch of garbage about how terrible everything is. with no actual reason why charters are better.

    i used examples and PROVED why charters are no better. my statements can be proven. charters have been SHOWN to not perform as well. it's a fact.

    but, please, keep your kids at home. i think we're all better off for that.

    they can enjoy being socially awkward later on in life.

    but, hey. at least you have your opinions, right?

    half the things you address had NOTHING to do with what i commented on.

    you think public school is a scam? is that what i got from your crazy rant?

    you didn't prove a thing i said wrong. you just went of. again, thank you for keeping your kids and crazy world views away from us.

    if only there was a blocking feature on this site so you could stop certain people from commenting on your posts.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sghouse wrote...
    It has become clear
    February 28, 2013 12:34 pm
    ..that teacher unions are the largest impediment to quality education EVER!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cigarfan wrote...
    @sghouse
    February 28, 2013 1:55 pm
    Education is determined by the quality of instruction. You don't get quality of instruction by instructors with only HS diplomas. In science there's an expression: GIGO = garbage in - garbage out.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • awbitf wrote...
    Funny Opposition
    February 28, 2013 3:47 pm
    Two stories on KIRO today:

    1) State Supreme Court throws out the 2/3 majority requirement for tax raises. Statement from WEA: we're happy, now government can do the will of the people.

    1) WEA says one charter school is one too many, wants to get the vote overturned. So much for the vote of the people.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cigarfan wrote...
    @awbitf
    February 28, 2013 3:53 pm
    I would start with the WA state constitution. I think this is the basis of your misunderstanding regarding court decisions. Also Tim Eyman will be happy to take your $$$ donations for his next mortgage payment(I mean initiative drive).
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }