Results still unclear for charter schools initiative
SEATTLE (AP) - More ballots have been counted, but the results are still unclear for Washington's charter schools initiative.
With about half of the expected ballots counted by Wednesday evening, Initiative 1240 was passing with 51 percent of the vote. But many ballots will continue to trickle in throughout the week, since Washington is a vote-by-mail state and ballots only needed to be postmarked by Tuesday
This is the fourth time the proposal has been on the ballot in Washington state, where voters rejected charter schools in 1995, 2000 and 2004.
If voters approve the measure, Washington would become the 42nd state to allow the public independent schools.
Supporters say the charter proposal would offer new choices for struggling kids and their families. Opponents say charters have a mixed track record in other states and they would take away money from regular public schools.
Proponents of charter schools raised more than $10 million to promote the idea, including $3 million from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
The proposal would open as many as 40 charter schools over five years.
Some of the most successful charter school organizations in the nation say they would like to open schools in Washington state if voters approve the measure.
Under the terms of the initiative, any nonprofit organization could start a charter school in Washington if their plan is approved by either a new statewide commission or a local school board that has been authorized by the state school board to approve charter schools.
The schools would need to be free and open to all students just like traditional public schools. They would receive public funding based on student enrollment, just like other schools. But public charter schools would be exempt from some state regulations, including some of the rules regarding the hiring and firing of teachers.
The Washington initiative was based on a model law created by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
With about half of the expected ballots counted by Wednesday evening, Initiative 1240 was passing with 51 percent of the vote. But many ballots will continue to trickle in throughout the week, since Washington is a vote-by-mail state and ballots only needed to be postmarked by Tuesday
This is the fourth time the proposal has been on the ballot in Washington state, where voters rejected charter schools in 1995, 2000 and 2004.
If voters approve the measure, Washington would become the 42nd state to allow the public independent schools.
Supporters say the charter proposal would offer new choices for struggling kids and their families. Opponents say charters have a mixed track record in other states and they would take away money from regular public schools.
Proponents of charter schools raised more than $10 million to promote the idea, including $3 million from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
The proposal would open as many as 40 charter schools over five years.
Some of the most successful charter school organizations in the nation say they would like to open schools in Washington state if voters approve the measure.
Under the terms of the initiative, any nonprofit organization could start a charter school in Washington if their plan is approved by either a new statewide commission or a local school board that has been authorized by the state school board to approve charter schools.
The schools would need to be free and open to all students just like traditional public schools. They would receive public funding based on student enrollment, just like other schools. But public charter schools would be exempt from some state regulations, including some of the rules regarding the hiring and firing of teachers.
The Washington initiative was based on a model law created by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
I find it curious that all of the other issues were pretty much determined by Wed. evening and this one isn't sure because all of the votes haven't been counted yet. This has happened before where an issue had a majority vote and then all of a sudden it was defeated.
I've been thinking that anytime a public institution is privatized the profit motive becomes all important. Yes, I know that the charter schools idea is to be dealt with only by the non-profits, but who is funding them? And how long before those rules become relaxed? Think about all the terrible for-profit post high school institutions out there churning out all those people unprepared for the job and deep in debt?
Look, if you want a private school level of education for free, then work to make the public school system already in place keep a high standard of instruction. Otherwise, shell out and shut up.
 @mrskmp You obviously do not even begin to understand the charter
school concept, the fact that they must be operated by nonprofit organizations,
or that they must meet the same criteria as the standard public schools in
regard to educational standards. The charter schools must retain the not
for profit operation or they loose the charter school status .
The majority pre-Katrina public schools in New Orleans were failing to educate
the youth of the city. The charter schools have changed that and are having much
more success at educating the youth of the city on any standard that one might
apply.
Â
Let's hope voters were successful in figuring out that this is just an effort to syphon off taxpayers dollars for a private enterprise which, nationally, does not show any better results than public schools. WA public schools are doing a good job considering the challenges they face and don't need to have their schools decimated by private enterprise. You have to wonder what is really behind the effort to destroy public education rather than working to support and enhance it.
I don't understand supporters of this at all. The only argument is that students will have more "choices." There is not one piece of evidence that shows charter schools are in any way an improvement over public schools. There isn't. Also, I'm not seeing the major failure of public schools that everyone is talking about.
Â
Honestly, I truly think there is a problem with the latest generation of parents. This overprotective, over-the-top parenting style isn't producing well-rounded people. Take some lessons from your own parents and grandparents, not Oprah and Dateline NBC fearmongering.
I have two takes on this. One, since charters pull money from the same funds as regular public schools that means that there will be less money for each of the schools. Since our schools are already underfunded it seems this will dilute that funding even further. On the plus side, maybe charters will be able to tie performance goals to teacher retention. I don't have kids so I guess this one misses me from that standpoint. If it passes I hope it works out for those folks that do have school age children.
Â
Mike
Our public schools are broken. They are not meeting the needs of our children. I am ready to take a chance on something different so other will have choices. Not everyone can afford private school. I pray that the kids we left behind in public schools will have a choice!Â
 @makeadifference What I really think about the charter school effort is that it is another RELIGIOUS effort to invade schools...pulling taxpayer dollars to support fundamental religious teachings - A MOST DANGEROUS move.
 @makeadifference Our public schools in WA state are not broken. They are not. Around the country, yes, there are some. But here? No. Broken is a very strong word to throw around casually. I can imagine there are some individual issues with an individual school or two, but not statewide. Is there room for improvement? Of course. There always is.  I would hope that anyone in any profession works on improving his or her craft, if they're of any merit. I have many sleepless nights fretting over students who are not "meeting standard". Not only do I reflect on my own teaching, but I also worry about the kids who don't complete homework, who aren't prepared with their supplies in class, whose parents I cannot get a hold of after repeated attempts, etc. I'm not sure charter schools are the answer. I'm sure there will be good ones and not so great ones, like public schools. But to say "Our schools are broken", I disagree. Education and the teachers have been on the receiving end of bashing for too long. It's getting old. Everyone has an opinion because everyone has been to school, therefore many, many people claim to know how to 'fix' education. Perhaps you, makeadifference, do have some direct experience with schools and the teaching profession. If so, than my previous statement isn't directed toward you.Â
@skm @makeadifference I believe Charter Schools will take funds into the already in the red Public Schools, therefore, will push Public Schools toward some people's goal in what they called broken. I have kids currently attending public schools, and they are great schools with great teachers. Of course, like every school, there will be a teacher or two who are not so great, but overall, we are satisfied with the current Public Schools. With Charter Schools taking funds away from Public Schools, what will happen to the current Public Schools who are broke, but not broken? Charter Schools will have to follow the educational path, but will not have to follow certain rules. If they are receiving public funds, they should follow rules in what they can use these funds for and how it is applied. Receiving public funds, but allowed to do whatever they want, not a good idea. I searched the web, and there are disasters in some places that have approved Charter schools.
@skm @makeadifference As a parent I was appalled at the education my children got in public schools. Had it not been for strong parental involvement ours would not have gotten even a mediocre education. It wasn't the teachers who were responsible for this either. They taught what they were TOLD to teach and most of it just completely overlooked the basics. Just enough math to hopefully be able to pass the tests that were mandated. Just enough of everything else to barely get by and pass these mandated tests. Need more basics in the lower grades, need to let the teachers do their jobs with less interference from outside, and instead of being top heavy in administration use some of that money to pay the teachers more. How you get parents involved is beyond me, but with children graduating illiterate one would think perhaps their parents should take notice.
 @skm  @makeadifference They're not broken. They're not. They're not. They're not.!
Sorry but they are. It doesn't matter how much of a tantrum you have about it, they're broken. Time to make a change and let the charter schools work the problems.
 @skm They're broken. Next!
Glad to read there is still time for this to fail. Â On the whole, charter schools do not perform as well as their public counterparts. Â Yes, there are exceptions but I am talking about as a whole. Â Within WA's public school system charter-like schools are possible, my kid is going to one. Â Support your local public schools.
Â
And does it not seem odd that the biggest supporters of charter schools in WA are millionaires who themselves did not attend public schools?  Gates and Allen.  Or have no kids of their own?  Bezos and Allen.
@NWNative Bill Gates does have children, but I seriously doubt they attend public schools.
@NWNative I voted for Charter schools. I have children in the public schools which I am unhappy about what is going on with that school system. I rather have my children in Charter schools where I believe that they will get a better education. The public schools system is not doing their jobs in teaching kids. I am glad that Mr Gates help to get Charter schools a reality in Washington State.
 @Hotrod  @NWNative Why do you believe they will get a better education in charter schools?
 @pete1427 Charter schools might have worked in individual instances, but there is simply no evidence to show that they are an improvement over public schools. There is just as much evidence of charter school failures as there are successes.Â
 @jowsuf If you want to learn about the successes of charter
schools you should check out the before and after education
achievements in the pre- Katrina New Orleans verses the improved
accomplishments of the charter schools that were started post-
Katrina. The smaller schools, and smaller class size of the charter
schools virtually turned the public schools system's failure around
because the charter school could operate with lower overhead cost
and that allowed more funds for the actual education of the city's youth.
Â
 @Hotrod  @NWNative What are you unhappy about? "The public schools system is  not doing their jobs in teaching kids." What are they not doing? I'm not looking to argue - I'm truly curious about specifics. It just seems that that's the rhetoric we always here, but no specifics are given. If you do decide to share, thank you.
 @alix2050      My daughter was required to take the WASL
in middle school. and high school and aced it both times.
She also scored 800 out of 800 for the reading portion of the SAT.
Her combined score for the SAT was 2100.
 @pete1427  @skm  @Hotrod  @NWNativeÂ
It's interesting that you point out how happy you were with your child's education because they used a nationalized test to measure achievment - not the one currently in use by public schools in our state. Are you thinking that charter schools will not have to use tests currently in use? (MSP, HSPE)
If it was such an improvement on your child's education, wouldn't it be better to work to change the public schools, rather than wasting additional tax dollars (and there will be more!)
Â
FWIW, given how bad New Orleans schools were pre-Katrina, I would not accept their "Improvement" for my child... who is currently attending a public school.
 @skm  @Hotrod  @NWNative I voted for charter
schools because of what I witnessed in my daughters classrooms
in elementary school. She has now graduated from college (Cum
Laude) so this charter school issue will not affect her education.
In her first, and second grade classes in public I witnessed bullying,
total chaos in the classroom, and teachers that did have the
patience or skills to try to teach these youngsters.
I placed my daughter in a private school for 3rd through 6th grade.
The private school used the Stanford Standardized Test to test the
students standings. At the end of sixth grade she tested post High
School for all subjects with the exception math. In math her score
put her knowledge rated her in math as a mid year sophomore in
high school. She returned to public school for middle school and
high school and easily made the honor roll throughout them and
graduated Cum Laude from college.
Â
My point is that during the most important early education years
the public school was a total failure.to the point that I removed
her from the school. I was on medical leave from my job, so for
I thought it would a good idea to sit in on her classes.Â
Â
The things that I observed would have upset any parent.
Â
Â