Dive Brief:
- In September, Washington state’s Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for charter schools to be considered public schools and receive the same funding because they aren't held accountable by an elected school board — a decision that may inform how other states regulate and regard charters.
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Nine charters in the state are now looking for ways to net enough funding to stay open, since appeals have failed and state funding is set to end, and Education Week reports that advocates are seeking a solution from the state's legislature.
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Still, many say that the issue of charter funding is a distraction from more serous issues facing education in the state, like the fact that a $100,000 daily fine has been in effect since August, when a judge ruled that lawmakers were “failing to adequately fund public education in the state.”
Dive Insight:
Although charter students and the families using them are in a bind, it’s too soon to say that what’s happening now in Washington state will spread to other states. But it’s also worth considering the scandals and messes that are plaguing states like Ohio, Florida, and Chicago.
In Florida, charters are accused of siphoning off $70 million dollars of public money; Ohio charters stand accused of misusing at least $6 million; and Chicago’s charters are facing an FBI investigation examining multi-million dollar fraud by one charter network, Concept Schools, that apparently ripped off the federal E-Rate program.