OLYMPIA – A bill introduced today by Sen. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, would adjust the laws for charter schools in Washington state to include performance audits, limit the number of approved charter schools in one district to three before full implementation, and require the governor to appoint all future members of the Charter School Commission.
“The proposed adjustments to charter schools are aimed at providing continuity and standard practices,” said Darneille. “I believe that charter schools approved by the Charter School Commission should have an opportunity to be sited in more than a few districts and reach full phase-in before more schools are added to the district. Beginning with one elementary, middle and high school charter school allows students to have a choice in their education but siting should not place significant burden on any one community or school district.”
Senate Bill 5791 would require an independent performance audit following the first school year of its complete grade phase-in. The audit would not prohibit the State Auditor from conducting a performance audit of the school as is their existing authority to conduct financial audits.
A moratorium on the number of charter schools sited within one district would be set at three until the existing charter schools have been fully phased-in. The moratorium on charter schools would be removed when:
- There have been no financial or performance audit findings for any of the charter schools within the district resulting in recommendations by the State Auditor’s Office; or
- The commission determines that the school has taken measures to satisfactorily comply with the recommendations as a result of performance or financial audit findings from the State Auditor’s Office.
“This bill came as a recommendation of the Tacoma Public School Board,” said Darneille. “Our charter schools should be able to succeed but that success should not come at the cost of our already innovative public schools.” Graduation rates have dramatically increased and the district was the first to be named an ‘Innovation Zone’ by Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn in 2012.
The bill would also have the governor re-appoint any successive members of the Charter School Commission subject to confirmation in the state Senate. This conforms with the traditional role of the governor to appoint members to a commission in order to ensure that all diversity and experience standards are met.
The bill was referred to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.
