Public charter schools offer a lot that public schools simply cannot provide, which is one of the many reasons that led voters to allow charter schools in our state via initiative. Using direct union pressure and one-sided negotiations with local school boards, the Washington Education Association (WEA) drowns public schools with rules and regulations with little regard for students.
On the other hand, public charter schools find success in flexibility. The Seattle Times explains:
Charters get that flexibility in three main ways:
- They have more control over whom they hire — and fire.
- They answer to an appointed rather than an elected school board.
- They are accountable to a charter authorizer rather than a school district, which allows them to define their own goals and success metrics.
In the end, public charter schools offer underprivileged students an advantage they otherwise would not have in a system controlled by the WEA. Test scores reflect the advantage charter schools offer. Yet, Democrats continue to oppose them — all to please the WEA (and to get the union’s campaign cash).
Washington Democrats made their ongoing opposition to public charter schools official via their latest party platform. By doing so, they (once again) demonstrated they are more concerned with the prospect of losing the contributions of the WEA — which has launched another lawsuit against charter schools — than with helping students succeed with the option of attending public charter schools.
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