Dive Brief:

• Instead of coming out as supporting or opposing a controversial bill that will preserve charter schools in Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee is instead staying quiet and allowing the proposal to move forward without his signature.
• Senate Bill 6194 will become law, though the governor has expressed concerns about a lack of language around taxpayer accountability for how the schools will spend public money.
• A previous controversial decision by the state's Supreme Court ruled the charter schools were unconstitutional in the state, since they lack public oversight from elected boards, and the new legislation will essentially override that ruling.

Dive Insight:

The September 2015 decision around the constitutionality of charter schools in Washington state held that charter schools can't be considered public schools and receive the same funding since they aren't held accountable to taxpayers in the same way. Accountability and charters have been a challenge for many states — including Ohio, Florida, and Illinois — where scandals and fiscal irregularities have been revealed in recent months.

Charter school operators are accused of siphoning off $70 million dollars of public money in the Sunshine state, while some charters in Ohio stand accused of misusing at least $6 million. Chicago’s charters face investigation from the FBI into an alleged multi-million dollar fraud by the Concept Schools network over possible E-rate fraud. 

In Washington, critics have pointed to the issue of charter funding as a smoke screen, saying it simply distracts from more serous issues facing education in the state. One, for example, is the fact that a $100,000 daily fine has been in effect since August 2015, when a judge ruled that lawmakers were “failing to adequately fund public education in the state.” 

The new bill is likely to attract attention nationwide as states grapple with accountability and taxpayers question the funding of charters with public money. Approximately 1,200 students attend charters in the state.