Know the System
Things are a little bit different over here in the charter school community. There are no school board elections, school boards are held accountable for delivering on their promises to students and families, schools that don’t fulfill their charter contract can be closed, and parent and teacher voices matter and play a big part in student success and school sustainability. Read on to learn more about the charter school system in Washington State.
Questions about oversight and accountability?
The Washington State Charter School Commission has put together a couple of very helpful resources about the layers of accountability in the charter school system (shared below with permission). We highly recommend reading them for a good understanding of who is responsible for overseeing your local charter school.
Want to know more?
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The staff at Washington State Charter Schools Association (WA Charters) has put together an amazing FAQ's page with answers to ALL the questions folks have about charter schools from who attends charter schools, to how they are funded, to information about what education laws and standards apply to public charter schools.
Their blog carefully documents the history of charter schools in this state. Take a journey through time starting with this May 22, 2012 post, Coalition of Education Groups in Washington State Files Ballot Measure to Create Modest Charter Schools Program.
What is WA Charters? Good question! WA Charters is a statewide nonprofit policy and legislative advocacy organization helping to grow and sustain the number of high-quality public school options in Washington by helping leaders launch innovative schools and by providing key technical assistance and resources to operating schools.
Stay Informed tip: Sign up for WA Charters email and/or text updates here.
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Get in touch with the Washington Charter School Development (WCSD) crew and check out their Featured Projects page about partnering with local charter schools.
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Visit the Commission’s website to see a list of all their currently authorized schools.
Click on each school’s name to go to their profile page with board information, performance and transparency reports and student handbooks..
Questions about Special Education?
Questions about an issue affecting your student?
For free confidential support in navigating issues affecting your children in a Washington k-12 public charter school, please contact the Washington State Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds through oeo.wa.gov to submit an online intake or schedule an intake call during the school year.
Their warm and knowledgeable staff have access to over 150 languages for phone interpretation to listen to your concerns, all you need to do is leave a message at 1-866-297-2597 with your name, preferred language and phone number and they will get back to you.
Who are the Education Ombuds?
They are a small team working statewide to reduce the opportunity gap and support informal, collaborative problem-solving between families and schools. They listen. They inform. They help solve problems.
And...they have put together some incredibly useful publications and resources for families here and offer free presentations, trainings, and outreach on a wide range of issues! Request training or outreach here.