Charter School Bill Nearly Dead Senate Democrats, Including Spokane’s Brown, Appear Set Against Measure Backed By Locke

With strong bipartisan backing from the state House and a big push from Gov. Gary Locke, this was supposed to be the year that lawmakers authorized innovative charter schools to spring up around Washington.

But the legislation once again is at death’s door in the Senate.

Foes think they have it beaten in the budget panel, and even the most passionate backers concede that it doesn’t look good. The final decision will be made Monday, said Sen. Steve Johnson, R-Kent, the GOP floor leader and bill sponsor.

“I wouldn’t write the obituary yet, but it does look bad,” said Jim Sawatzki, a teacher at Bethel High School in Spanaway who heads Washington Educators for Charter Schools.

Go ahead and write the obituary, said the Democrats’ ranking member on the Education Committee, Rosemary McAuliffe of Bothell. She predicts Democrats will hold firm and reject the bill, waiting for better legislation and better overall education funding next year.

Locke, a Democrat, has been personally lobbying key Democratic senators, but the key swing vote, Lisa Brown of Spokane, said Friday she’s a firm “no” for a variety of reasons.

“I’m between a Locke and a hard place,” she quipped, conceding that being the swing vote is an uncomfortable position to be in.

Locke and primary backers of charter schools massaged the bill that came roaring out of the House on a 72-22 vote in January, hoping to ease the concerns of some Senate critics. But the deal means nothing if backers can’t shepherd legislation through committee and onto the Senate floor.

The Senate Education Committee, the panel that writes education policy, is being bypassed because backers of charter schools don’t have a majority. Both the chairman, Republican Harold Hochstatter of Moses Lake, and the ranking Democrat, McAuliffe, are arch-foes of the legislation.

So backers have moved on to the Ways and Means Committee.

Chairman Jim West, R-Spokane, was willing to move a skeleton bill through his committee on Thursday, with the negotiated language to be added on the floor. But two of his Republican members, Hochstatter and Joseph Zarelli of Vancouver, refused to vote for the bill, SB7901, and all of the Democrats locked up against it.

West said he will give it one last chance Monday. The bill is dead if one or more Democrats won’t vote for it, he said.

“The governor has his work cut out for him,” West said. “He has not been convincing so far.”

McAuliffe calls it “trust-me” legislation because the budget committee is asked to vote for a bill that has no contents yet. Democrats have been left out of the loop in negotiations, and Republicans have stonewalled Democrats’ requests for more money to reduce class size and to help property-poor districts with levy equalization funds, she and Brown say.

Although she voted for charter schools when she was in the House, Brown said, “I’m not willing to do it right now.”

“If the only thing I get to take back to Spokane is charter schools, well, I’m just not very interested in that,” she said in an interview. “There has been only deafening silence from my constituents on this. They care about class size and they don’t like the Republicans’ phonics-only legislation, but there is no call for charter schools.”

She agreed with McAuliffe’s prediction that no Democrat on Ways and Means will vote for the measure, killing it for this session.

“It doesn’t look promising,” said Rep. Dave Quall, D-Mount Vernon, the Legislature’s foremost advocate for charter schools and the prime sponsor of the bill that came over from the House.

He said if the measure could ever get to the Senate floor, it would pass easily, but conceded that he couldn’t identify any vote switches that could save the bill in committee.

The Washington Education Association, the main teachers’ union, weighed in against the bill on Friday. The group backed the House version, but is urging a “no” vote on the latest draft, spokesman Trevor Neilson said. The most troubling provisions deal with teacher pensions and bargaining units, he said.

He agreed with McAuliffe and Brown that funding is far more important than charter schools in pumping up public education.

“Charter schools are probably No. 30 on our Top 10 list of things to do for schools,” he said.

Fawn and Jim Spady, the Snoqualmie Pass couple who sponsored an unsuccessful charter-school initiative two years ago, said the WEA is a big reason for the Democrats’ lockup.

“They’re putting a tremendous amount of pressure on senators in private to oppose the bill,” Jim Spady said. “This is a money issue and a power issue for them. … They are pulling out all the stops, and they are killing it.”

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1. WHAT ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS? Some 29 states have authorized these independent but publicly financed and sponsored schools, with about 200,000 students attending the 700 schools. Non-profit groups would seek a five-year contract, or charter, to operate largely independently from the local school district. The state legislation would allow formation of 20 charter schools per year, statewide, for the next four years. Existing schools could convert to charter schools if a majority of parents and teachers support it. If the local school board refused to give a contract, called a charter, the nonprofit organizing group could seek sponsorship from one of the state’s four-year public colleges. Schools could be one or more grade levels and of virtually any size. They could be single purpose, such as an arts academy or college-prep middle school, or a general academic school. The state would give charter schools $3,750 per pupil. They could use vacant school buildings or rent or buy space. They couldn’t have religious ties and couldn’t charge tuition or levy taxes. The new schools would have to follow provisions of the state’s new education reform laws, including testing. Associated Press

2. ALMANAC Highlights Supporters and foes of a plan to authorize innovative charter schools agreed the legislation is nearly dead in the Senate. A GOP leader said the final decision will be made Monday. In a reversal of plans, legislative leaders said they will go along with Gov. Gary Locke’s demand to give exclusive oversight of adult boarding homes to the Department of Social and Health Services, but only temporarily while a study is conducted.

Coming up House Appropriations Chairman Tom Huff was scheduled Monday to release the House Republicans’ version of the state budget.

Overheard “I’m between a Locke and a hard place.” Sen. Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, describing the situation as Gov. Gary Locke lobbies her to vote for the charter schools bill and Democratic lawmakers hold firm in opposition.

Other people’s houses Maine: Saying he was “striking a blow for the preservation of a rural culture,” Gov. Angus King signed a bill Friday that gave residents of Monhegan Island exclusive access to their traditional lobstering grounds. The bill marks the first time that a single community has been given legal control over its lobster grounds. However, King described the new law as simply recognizing a “de facto arrangement” that has been in place for almost 100 years. The community has 65 year-round residents. Monhegan fishermen who recognize that a continued supply of lobster is crucial to their tiny community have abided by self-imposed restrictions for decades.

Days in session Friday was day 47 of the 60-day session.

Legislative hot line: 1-800-562-6000 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

On the Internet http://www.wa.gov for the state of Washington’s home page. http://www.leg.wa.gov for the state-run Legislative Service Center. - Associated Press