Charter Bill Won't Be Heard (Today)
Update#3: The representative who didn't vote on putting 6194 back on the House Ed agenda yesterday was Rep Sam Hunt, D-Olympia. Interestingly, Rep Larry Springer, D-Kirkland, who was the co-sponsor of the House version of 6194, voted no. Apparently he had doubts about the ability for it to hold up in court. (And I believe that many of those who voted no probably felt the same way. Once bitten and all that.)
But Springer does want charters to go forward but was worried if a second law was overturned, it would doom the whole effort. He is apparently trying to figure out a way to get local control AND funding AND state authorizations possible as well.
As I said before, that's pretty much a whole re-write of the bill. Is there time for that? Given the record of those who have been writing these initiatives/bills, I don't think so.
By the way, have you gotten your robo-call? After the third one, I called WSCSA and told them to knock it off.
end of update
Update #2: Well, apparently Rep. Chad Magendanz has a bill, HB 3000 (sounds like a souped-up remote control) that would fund the Charter Commission (or the schools - the link to the bill has no info.) If we don't have charter schools, we don't need the Charter Commission. If we don't have charter schools, we don't have to fund them. We don't have charter schools or a charter school law so this is all puzzling.
Magendanz loves to try this last-minute hustle but I can't believe there can be any real justification for all this.
Update: AP is reporting this:
end of update
The House Early Learning & K-12 Education committee was to meet this morning in executive session to discuss several bills, among them the charter bill.That meeting has been cancelled. The committee IS meeting this morning but the charter school bill was pulled from the meeting.
From the WSCSA twitter feed:
WA Charters @WA_Charters
16 minutes ago
Olympia, WA
But Springer does want charters to go forward but was worried if a second law was overturned, it would doom the whole effort. He is apparently trying to figure out a way to get local control AND funding AND state authorizations possible as well.
As I said before, that's pretty much a whole re-write of the bill. Is there time for that? Given the record of those who have been writing these initiatives/bills, I don't think so.
By the way, have you gotten your robo-call? After the third one, I called WSCSA and told them to knock it off.
end of update
Update #2: Well, apparently Rep. Chad Magendanz has a bill, HB 3000 (sounds like a souped-up remote control) that would fund the Charter Commission (or the schools - the link to the bill has no info.) If we don't have charter schools, we don't need the Charter Commission. If we don't have charter schools, we don't have to fund them. We don't have charter schools or a charter school law so this is all puzzling.
Magendanz loves to try this last-minute hustle but I can't believe there can be any real justification for all this.
Update: AP is reporting this:
Committee chairwoman Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, says she removed the bill from Thursday's voting list because she was still waiting for a work group report on solutions to problems with the charter school initiative, which was passed by voters in 2012.Wonder who that committee member was?
At the beginning of a committee meeting, Republican members tried to put the issue back on the agenda. But a motion to do so failed on a vote of 10-10. It required 11 votes to pass and one member of the committee was not present.
end of update
The House Early Learning & K-12 Education committee was to meet this morning in executive session to discuss several bills, among them the charter bill.
From the WSCSA twitter feed:
WA Charters
6194 not voted out of house Ed. 500 kids and parents need a fix now and will calling for reinstating law at noon.
That's a bit weird that now they say there are just "500 kids" that need this law. That's quite a lower number than the 1300 that they have been throwing around at legislative hearings. (Update: it appears the tweet was unclear; they brought 500 kids to Olympia today.)
Also, how does the legislature "reinstate" an unconstitutional law? (Want to see the Supreme Court go over the edge? Basically ignored McCleary AND try some weird workaround to put back charters.)
My answer to that tweet is that there was a "fix" made for this year and these students get to be in their schools. As well, I actually tweeted:
It's important for children and adults to understand the law, the constitution and how democracy works.
Truly, it is and if ever there was a teachable moment for kids, this is it. Maybe the charter school parents will finally look around and realize that it is not the Supreme Court or the legislature that got them to this point - it's charter supporters who did not do the right thing - put forth a constitutional law.
Stay tuned.
Comments
Steve and Connie Ballmer contributed $250k to Washington Charters PAC. I think this PAC is funding the Act Now for Washington Charters campaign. They have pulled-out all stops and have taken to the air waves:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Charter-school-backers-aim-TV-blitz-at-the-6850412.php
I am also wondering the name of the individual that was not at the committee meeting.
I fully expect attempts to place this bill on the floor.
Thanks for your work, Melissa.
NoCharters
I too find the 500 number interesting.
I totally agree, it's odd and at this point, creepy!
Kids are just being used as pawns as the civic lessons were learned the first time they went down, certainly by the second time. I can't imagine why parents are condoning this behavior.
So odd...
Some lawmaker say the charter bill is not dead.
Ahl is amongst those that filed a court case against I 1240. Ahl points out that I 1240 is still in the court:
"The case is still in the court. Please do not move this bill forward until the case is decided," Ahl said, noting that the Supreme Court only ruled on part of the case and sent it back to the lower courts."
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/House-committee-won-t-consider-charter-bill-on-6853867.php
Shall we have two bills with potential constitutional issues?
"EFFECT: Increases total 2015-17 appropriations for the
Washington Charter School Commission to $1,563,000. Adds operation
of the charter school commission to the Washington Opportunity
Pathways Account list of allowable expenditures.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Reduces General Fund - State by $338,000."
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2015-16/Pdf/Amendments/House/2376-S%20AMH%20MAGE%20HARJ%20206.pdf
Increases WA Opportunity Path - State by $973,000.
These bills need to be stopped. Magendanz is leading the charge and he needs to be stopped and removed from office.
--- aka
To quote on uniformity, ""Considering the requirements the charter schools must comply with, namely educational goals, student assessments, and EALR’s, the court holds that the charter school act meets the definition of a general and uniform school system.”
To quote on SPI, "Plaintiffs argue that without the power to correct or directly control the charter school the supervision [of the Superintendent] is an empty promise, undermined by the independence of the Commission. The argument may have validity to the statute as applied but fails as a facial challenge."
--- aka
--- aka
You also forget - the Supreme Court was quite clear that they did NOT address all the plaintiffs' issues with the law. Maybe that's what the Superior Court will now do.
That's why I think uniformity and SPI authority are settled. What the lower court will address I think will pertain only to charter schools as common schools and the unconstitutionality of common school funds be allocated to charter schools.
--- aka
Thanks, aka. It has been a while since I've read the Superior Court case and I should read the case, again.
I do have information. One thing is clear...there are differing opinions.
Thanks for the Update 3- Melissa. Quite interesting that the sponsor of the bill voted NO.