The Washington State Senate yesterday passed a bill that would allow charter schools to continue operating in our state. The bill passed on a near-party-line 27-20 vote. It now heads to the state House.
The state Supreme Court made the bill necessary last fall when they struck down charter schools as unconstitutional. According to Q13 Fox, the bill “mirrors the voter-approved 2012 initiative that created charter schools, with a change in the way the schools are financed.” Specifically, the bill proposes using the state’s Opportunity Pathways Account (which has revenue from the state lottery) as a means to fund charter schools.
Only Democrats opposed the bill. Notably, two Democrats abstained: Democrat Senators Kevin Ranker and Cyrus Habib. You can check out the role call below:
Sen. Habib was excused from having to take the tough vote (choosing between kids and the Washington Education Association) in order to attend a personal family health matter. Habib is also running for Lieutenant Governor.
It will be interesting to see if Sen. Habib is pressed by the mainstream media to publically state how he would have voted on the bill. His constituents, and those statewide he wishes to serve, deserve to know where he stands on this important issue.
