Charter school ruling anchors state to ‘World War II system’

A handful of Washington schools are unsure how they will start classes after a controversial Supreme Court decision essentially defunded the state’s experimental charter schools, labeling them as unconstitutional.

Bill Bryant, current Seattle port commissioner who is a Washington state gubernatorial candidate, told KIRO Radio’s Tom and Curley Show he’s disappointed in the decision.

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“We have a World War II system that is failing the needs of a 21st century, diverse population,” Bryant said. “And what the court did on Friday is anchor us to that World War II system. They basically undercut our ability to develop new, innovative approaches and fund [education] at the statewide level. That’s why I found it so offensive. We are hanging onto an outdated institution instead of embracing innovation.”

Washington’s Supreme Court ruled last week that the voter-approved charter school law ran afoul of the state’s constitution. The ruling means that no funding will be available for the handful of charter schools that have started since the law’s passing in 2012. The ruling states that the charter schools fail to meet the definition of “common” schools.

It leaves nine charter schools in limbo, along with nearly 1,300 students.

“The Supreme Court ruled that because there is no accountability for this money that they are not qualified under public schools,” Tom said. “Because the money the schools get is controlled by school boards and elected officials.”

Tom said that public schools have elected officials that decide how to spend tax dollars, and charter schools don’t.

“Their ruling was a technical interpretation of the constitution of the state,” he said, arguing that it wasn’t partisan.

Bryant disagrees with Tom’s interpretation.

“I think the court misread the legislation,” he said. “The Legislature actually anticipated this as a possibility and in their budgeting made sure that it was not tapping into that same designated fund. I don’t think the court understood that. I think with a technical fix, we can clarify that.”

Bryant further argued that the decision threatens other Washington educational endeavors such as the Running Start Program that sends high school students to community colleges, or tribal compact schools.

But Tom and Bryant couldn’t agree. On one hand, there are approximately 1,300 students who may be without a school this month. On the other, the larger issue of funding schools, and fixing them up, remains.

“This court also said that if you fund it properly, instead of underfunding it, maybe the schools wouldn’t be as in bad shape as they are now without charter schools,” Tom noted.