Editorial: Charter schools need sustained support

Charter school parents and students can relax, for now, because a bill aimed at satisfying constitutional objections will become law.

All eyes were on Gov. Jay Inslee after the bipartisan bill passed, because he was under heavy pressure from the Washington Education Association to veto it. In the end, he remained on the fence, allowing the bill to become law without signing it.

Perhaps that preserves some goodwill with the teachers union, an important political ally. Perhaps that leaves the door open for future opposition. But what it fails to do is provide clear leadership on an issue that will face more obstacles.

Supporters say the new law resolves constitutional questions on funding and school board representation, but opponents will almost certainly challenge it. The Legislature may need to return to the drawing board. It would help if the governor were on board.

Inslee says he’s not sure the law will pass muster, but that’s no excuse for not taking a position. He either believes charter schools are a positive addition or he doesn’t.

Because of WEA opposition, charter schools can be a tough vote for Democrats, but many lawmakers had the courage to vote yes, even though their districts voted no when the issue was on the ballot. About two-thirds of students in the state’s charter schools qualify for free or reduced lunch; about 70 percent are minorities, according to the Washington State Charter Schools Association. Early results show students are performing better at charters.

Washington state has lagged other states in closing the achievement gap between low-income and minority students and the rest. But rather than embrace the results, charter school opponents suggest success has come at the expense of students in traditional schools. There is no evidence of this. It’s a crude either/or argument that ends up returning students to settings where they were not succeeding.

Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Renton, is an African-American who grew up in South Central Los Angeles. He is a key supporter and powerful spokesman for charter schools. He saw how traditional schools failed his childhood peers. He’s seen African-American students catch up in Washington’s charter schools.

Charter school opponents say we must fully fund basic education first, but that’s another false choice. Both sides want that, but it’s the alternative structure and teaching methods, not money, that have been the catalyst for student improvement.

Rather than view charters as a threat, Spokane Public Schools embraced them as another option to add to the district’s long list of learning alternatives, such as Montessori, Odyssey and APPLE. It was the only district to become a charter school authorizer. The two schools it has authorized so far, PRIDE Prep and Spokane International Academy, are thriving.

Nobody wins if those schools are closed, so our leaders should ensure they stay open for as long as they are effective. It’s the ineffective schools that need scrutiny.