Ray Budde, 82, who was said to have coined the term “charter” in reference to schooling, died of respiratory failure on June 11 in Springfield, Mass.
Mr. Budde was a longtime educator, with experience as a teacher, principal, and education professor. In 1988, he wrote Educating by Charter: Restructuring School Districts. His idea was for a local school board to give a group of teachers a charter that would allow greater control over curriculum and instruction in return for ensuring improvements in student performance.
