Charter school ruling puts state behind in innovation
Since my three children started school, I’ve always been in the classroom. First as a volunteer, then as a para-educator, and for the past 12 years as an upper-elementary school teacher in a traditional public school system.
I believe our public school system is stronger when we offer more choices so that parents can decide what is best for their children, and teachers can choose the right professional environment for themselves.
That is why I joined the design team that created the Spokane International Academy (SIA) —one of Spokane’s first public charter schools.
With oversight from the Spokane Public Schools board, I joined a group of teachers who shared a passion and vision for global citizenship. We created a curriculum that emphasized science, social studies and language in everyday instruction; with the value proposition that we can be bridge builders between different cultures and nations, and we can be good stewards of the planet.
Parents and students choose to attend SIA. But now those choices are at risk for all of us.
I love being a public school teacher. I am baffled and embarrassed by the Washington Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling Sept. 4 that public charter schools are unconstitutional. To add insult to injury, nine public charter schools had already opened to serve 1,300 children and their families across the state.
I’m not here to argue against the legal merits of that decision but, as a teacher, to simply ask, “Why is Washington so behind in education innovation and choice for students and parents?”
There are 41 other states that over the past 25 years have proven that public charter schools can work and provide excellent results for student achievement. These are schools parents choose for their children when traditional public schools may not fit their particular child’s needs. On average, 70 percent of students in public charter schools are low-income and students of color.
For those students, it’s about the promise of equal opportunity.
Parents have chosen to send their children to these schools just as teachers have chosen to invest their professional lives into the success of these schools.
In exchange for more flexibility to help students succeed, charter schools are more accountable, transparent and are designed with more oversight than traditional public schools.
This debate should be about what is best for the kids, and about protecting a valuable public education choice for families.
At SIA, kids are learning in amazing ways. Just last week, we used food grown by students in the school garden in our cafeteria. Through their own experience, we taught them to connect the science associated with composting, pollination and wildlife with everyday life. This is the kind of flexibility and creativity that public charter schools provide kids.
Our school day is longer than that of traditional schools, and parents tell us their kids can’t wait to come to school to see their teachers and friends in the morning.
I love being around the kids and watching the amount of growth that occurs every single day. You see it in their eyes when the light comes on and they realize all that they are capable of. Seeing that joy and sense of accomplishment is why I teach — it’s why all teachers teach.
I am not alone in my frustration with the court’s ruling. Over 1 million voters said yes to additional public education options for Washington families. So, I say to Washington’s leaders, “You lead this state and have the power to uphold the will of the voters. Please make things right again.”
The same glitch the court says prevents public charter schools from receiving public funding could also apply to other programs like Running Start, tribal compact schools and any other public school program that is not directly supervised by an elected board.
Our Legislature needs to fix this glitch so we can keep schools open and teachers can continue helping kids reach their full potential.
Mary Himley teaches science and social studies at Spokane International Academy.Editor’s note: Anne Cowles, wife of The Spokesman-Review Publisher Stacey Cowles, serves on the Spokane International Academy board of directors.