About the Author
Key Findings
1. HB 1591 would provide up to $1,550 per charter school student to partly make up for the denial of local levy funding.
2. HB 1079, HB 1195 and HB 1962 would extend the authorization for opening new charter schools.
3. Charter schools are widely popular, especially in underserved urban communities.
4. Traditional public schools have consistently failed to close the achievement gap among black, and Hispanic children and their white and Asian peers.
5. Charter schools offer families assigned to state-identified failing schools a chance to find a better public school for their children.
6. Washington’s charter schools have delivered on the promise of providing better results for students, especially for minority and low-income students.
7. Currently, more than 4,000 students attend 16 public charter schools, with two more charter schools approved to open this fall.
8. Washington currently discriminates against charter school families by denying them access to local levy and start-up funding.
Introduction
In a bipartisan effort, Democrat and Republican lawmakers have introduced bills to equalize funding and expand public charter school opportunities for Washington’s students. These bills are:
HB 1591, to reduce local funding discrimination against charter school families by making charter schools eligible for $1,550 per student.
Three bills, HB 1079, HB 1195 and HB 1962, to extend the authorization period for opening new charter schools by three, four, and five years, respectively.
Click here to read the Legislative Memo in full.