School Choice & Charters

Challenge To Washington Charter School Law Heading to the State Supreme Court

By Arianna Prothero — August 18, 2014 1 min read
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A challenge to Washington state’s new charter school law has made it all the way to that state’s supreme court, according to the Associated Press.

The Washington Supreme Court announced on Friday it will consider whether the law approved by voters in 2012 is constitutional—specifically whether charter schools qualify as “common schools” and therefore are entitled to certain kinds of public funding.

A county Superior Court judge ruled in December that parts of the law violated the state constitution. But, because the judge did not find the entire law unconstitutional, the decision has not stopped the approval and planning process from moving forward for the state’s first charter school, the Seattle-based First Place Scholars which is scheduled to open this fall.

The state teachers’ union, the League of Women Voters, and a group of school administrators are among some of those that banded together to bring the lawsuit. The coalition is scheduled to make its oral arguments at the end of October.

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A version of this news article first appeared in the Charters & Choice blog.