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Editorial: Charter schools part of innovation in Spokane

Fri., Sept. 12, 2014

The head of the Spokane Education Association on Wednesday made, probably unintentionally, an astute comment about innovation in Spokane Public Schools.

Jenny Rose was reiterating teacher opposition to charter schools, which the union claims take dollars away from public school students. The state teachers association is pressing that point in state courts, so far unsuccessfully.

The unions are wrong. As Rose herself said, education dollars follow the child. Money spent on one student is not money taken away from another. How and where parents want to spend that education money within the public school system is up to them, but that means little if they do not have choices.

The Spokane district has offered alternatives for many years, and the selection keeps expanding: Montessori, vocational-technical, home schooling support and STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – to name a few. Other area school districts also offer alternatives.

But the Spokane district took its boldest step with the successful effort to become the only Washington school district that can authorize charter schools. Would-be charter school operators elsewhere in the state must be approved by the Washington State Charter School Commission.

Earlier this year, the district board authorized the first charter – PRIDE Prep School of Technology and Science – and three more applications are under review. PRIDE will open next fall. The board members could act on the new applications, which ranged from 200 pages to more than 700 pages in length, by the end of the month.

At Wednesday’s board meeting, supporters were passionate and vocal, including those who hope to establish a school addressing the needs of the hearing impaired. Those parents, many with hearing deficiencies that had impeded their own education and socialization, were especially strong advocates for their children and their needs.

Another group wanted to exploit the cultural diversity of Hillyard and build on the remarkable improvement in student graduation rates at Rogers High School, achieved in part by building relationships with community and business partners.

Although Rose focused on the resources charter schools allegedly deny other schools, getting students out of public school classrooms could be a bonus. With state mandates for pre-kindergarten and smaller classes, the district is short of classrooms and may seek funds for more construction.

Charter schools should help relieve some of that pressure.

But outsourcing students to clear space would be a poor reason for adding more charter schools. Really, their value lies in their ability to introduce new ways of learning to students unserved by conventional schools.

In Spokane, that value-added does not detract from the innovation in other schools, it’s an outgrowth; one that would not have emerged if the district was not already innovative. Charter schools do fail; the task of the district is to assure students do not fail with them.

Some students will fail without them.