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Former AGs weigh in on charter schools ruling

Yesterday Washington's four living former attorneys general (Slade Gorton, Kenneth O. Eikenberry, Christine O. Gregoire, and Robert M. McKenna) filed an amicus brief arguing that the state Supreme Court should reconsider its ruling that charter schools are unconstitutional. Add this to the motions for reconsideration filed by the current attorney general and the Washington State […]

Legislators: Court "overlooks" the responsibility of the Legislature to budget and organize school system

Two more requests that the state Supreme Court reconsider its September decision that charter schools are unconstitutional have been made. (The attorney general filed a motion to reconsider Sept. 24.) One is from a bipartisan group of 10 legislators. According to the Olympian, they are Rep. Judy Clibborn (D-Mercer Island), Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle), Rep. […]

House committee explores K-12 financing

Yesterday in Olympia the House Finance Committee looked at how public schools are funded, here in Washington and nationwide. Committee staff prepared in-depth reports with lots of information (the Research Council in 2013 published a report on on K-12 financing, comparing Washington’s funding to other states’. You can read that here). Some highlights: Washington differs […]

More on charter schools: The Los Angeles experience

The Washington State Charter Schools Commission met last week to "consider how it can keep monitoring the independent public schools while making plans to dismantle itself" (it also suspended applications for new charter schools).  The commission finds itself in this strange position after the state Supreme Court, controversially, ruled in September that charter schools are unconstitutional. Some lawmakers are considering ways to counteract the ruling, […]

Policy Today podcast: Where does Washington rank on education, economy & transportation?

School construction in Yakima, and a reminder about class size requirements

I was in my hometown of Yakima last month, and for the first time in several visits, I happened to drive by Eisenhower High School. The transformation of the campus from what it had been while I was growing up was astounding. I wondered how much the new school and fields had cost. Almost on […]

Washington scores good – not great – on new "Opportunity Index"

Our friends at Opportunity Washington are out today with a brand-new assessment – called the “Opportunity Index” – of how Washington stacks up against the rest of the country on education, transportation and economic vitality. In partnership with the Association of Washington Business and the Washington Roundtable, the Research Council conducted a data-driven analysis of performance of all 50 states […]

InFocus: Possible charter schools ruling re-do, construction jobs, paid family leave study

This week we’re discussing the Attorney General’s request that the state Supreme Court reconsider its ruling that charter schools are unconstitutional, the number of construction jobs staying essentially flat statewide, and a federal grant for Washington to study the feasibility of paid family leave implementation. In this episode:

Policy Today: The elusive silver bullet of tax policy

AG asks Court to reconsider charter schools decision, makes a key point about initiative funding

Yesterday Attorney General Bob Ferguson asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision that charter schools are unconstitutional. His motion states, Ultimately, the State urges the Court to reconsider its decision to set aside the entirety of Initiative 1240, as adopted by the people. But even if the Court rejects that request, it should narrow […]