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Home / Washington Business - May/June 2004 / No Summer Break for Charter Schools |
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No Summer Break for Charter Schools |
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Written On: May/June 2004 |
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Written By: By Scott Carlson |
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Although the state Legislature voted them into law, charter schools still face an uphill battle.
While the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), the organization of school superintendents and principals, continue to dump on charter schools, the Washington Education Association (WEA), has filed a referendum, to repeal the charter schools legislation passed just before the close of the 2004 legislative session. The measure is Referendum 55. Charter school opponents are hard at work collecting nearly 100,000 signatures from registered Washington voters by June 9. If it qualifies, Referendum 55 will be on the November 2 general election ballot.
“The unions have said they’re going to support a political action committee that is seeking to suspend the operation of the charter school law until November when voters can have another vote at charter schools,” said co-director of the Education Excellence Coalition (EEC) Dick Spady. “Unfortunately, the unions can run millions of dollars of television commercials to confuse voters about the benefits of charter schools.”
This is a crusade for which Spady and his wife, Fawn, have been fighting for 10 years.
While AWB and the Washington Roundtable strongly favor charter schools, WASA remains adamantly opposed to charter schools and fought the proposal in the Legislature. The principals and superintendents argue that charter schools don’t have to follow the same rules and regulations, and siphon money from the public schools.
Even though charter schools tend to empower teachers with a much greater role in directing and managing the schools, they very rarely become unionized. Non-union teachers don’t pay union dues, which also doesn’t sit well with WEA or its national counterpart—the National Education Associations (NEA). NEA is expected to pour money and campaign materials into Washington to pass the referendum.
WEA Referendum is Disappointing
“We were disappointed parents in the Seattle Public Schools,” Spady said. “We pulled our kids out and put them in private schools, as so many people in Seattle do.”
According to Spady, of all major U.S. metropolitan areas, Seattle has the lowest number of children per capita. However, Seattle also has the largest private school enrollment in the country.
“People with children have either moved out of the city or they’ve enrolled their children, if they can afford it, in private schools,” Spady said.
“Another interesting fact regarding education in Seattle,” observed Spady, “is that public school teachers are much more likely to send their own children to private schools in Seattle, regardless of social class or yearly income.”
So, what do charter schools offer that have made them so successful in 39 states?
According to the Education Excellence Coalition, charter public schools provide more, high-quality public school choices for children and their families.
Charter public school supporters reject the idea that “one size fits all” and believe instead that the best way to make sure every child gets a good school “fit” is to offer more high-quality public school choices, says the Coalition. The schools are also built on what Spady refers to as “sweat equity.” No additional taxpayer dollars are needed to fund the schools. Charter schools simply use monies already set aside to follow the students.
No Additional Taxpayer Money Needed for Charter Schools
According to Spady, teachers pay approximately $700 a year in dues. This amount multiplied a few times begins to add up very quickly.
“Bottom line, that’s why teachers’ unions are against charter schools,” Spady said. “It’s selfish that they put the interest of adults who are employed by public education ahead of the interest of the children public education is intended to serve. It’s shameful.
“I think a lot of teachers are duped by their own union membership. They don’t really know why their own union is so seriously anti-charter. But if you think about it and if you follow the money, it’s pretty clear why they’re opposed.”
Spady said he firmly believes the first charter school will open in the Seattle/Puget Sound area. Charter schools are typically set in urban areas where the number of disadvantaged and/or low-income children is greatest.
As the WEA beefs up its operation to shut down charter school legislation, Spady warns voters not to be fooled by the union’s distorted arguments. Go to www.wacharterschools.org to learn the real benefits of charter schools.
“Charter schools are a low-cost way to improve public education,” he concluded. “It’s what I call the price of success. Any program that really improves public education the same way charter schools does, will draw people back into the public school system.”
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