Neighbor News
WSCSC Update
In slightly more than a year and a half, the Washington State Charter School Commission has accomplished a great deal.
Now that “Charter Schools” are law in Washington state, we need to be sure we avoid the pitfalls that have plagued charter schools all over the country. I’ve been immensely impressed with the work ethic and the professional dedication of the commissioners. They seem genuinely interested in helping Washington develop the best charter school system possible. I want to share with you some of the things they’ve done and are doing.
In its first year and a half, the commission has focused upon meeting all statutory requirements for operating a high-quality charter school application process. To accomplish that, it has worked with the OSPI, the State Board of Education (SBE), and the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA). They’ve authorized six non-profits to open seven public charter schools. They’ve drafted, vetted, and adopted agency rules and hired an executive director. Now, that’s a whale of an accomplishment, but they’re nowhere near done.
The commission is currently establishing itself as an independent state agency (not an easy thing in this weak economy and anti-government climate) and developing a three-year strategic plan. Most important to me, the commission is determined to establish a transparent accountability system (a necessity to avoid most of the problems encountered by other states). This is essential to establish, maintain, and enforce high performance standards and hold schools accountable for financial and organizational performance. To do this, the commission is developing a “Performance Framework”, including academic, financial, and organizational performance measures for use in schools. This will form the backbone of the performance management system. That framework is due to be adopted before the end of 2014.
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In slightly more than a year and a half, the Washington State Charter School Commission has accomplished a great deal. As citizens concerned about education, we need to follow the activities of the commission and offer our thoughts and concerns in order to help the commissioners understand what we expect and what we wish to avoid. You can follow the commission by going to its website at: