Taxes: The grass is always greener…
With the first meeting today of Gov. Inslee’s legislative McCleary workgroup, we’re likely to see another round of calls for new taxes – specifically, an income tax and/or a capital gains tax – to fund the rest of the state’s K-12 obligations. Arguments in favor of new forms of taxation include: Washington’s tax system is unfair and regressive, […]
September 23 , 2015 - Mary Strow
September 22 , 2015 - Mary Strow
September 18 , 2015 - Mary Strow
September 15 , 2015 - Mary Strow
Stanford study shows improved charter school performance – especially in urban areas
Even before the state Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional, charter schools were a topic that engendered heated debate (at least here in Washington; charter schools are perfectly constitutional in 41 other states). Therefore, data, backed up by solid research, provides a welcome relief from the rhetoric. For some years now the Center for Research on […]
September 15 , 2015 - Emily Makings
What's to be done about charter schools, part 2
Yesterday I went over some of the possible responses to the state Supreme Court’s decision that charter schools are unconstitutional. I neglected to bring up an odd point from the majority opinion, which comes in the footnote to this sentence (page 12-13): . . . under the terms of the Act’s provisions the source of […]
September 14 , 2015 - Emily Makings
What's to be done about charter schools?
The Olympian had a good article over the weekend on the various ideas floating around about how to resolve the charter school situation. These include: Ask the Court to reconsider, which the attorney general is planning to do. This “is a long shot.” Amend the constitution. Make charters more like alternative schools, which are overseen […]
September 09 , 2015 - Emily Makings
Highlights from the Supreme Court opinion that charter schools are unconstitutional
To the surprise of many, Friday afternoon the state Supreme Court found charter schools to be unconstitutional. Voters approved them with Initiative 1240 in 2012, and Washington’s first public charter school opened last year. Eight additional public charters opened this fall. In 2013, the League of Women Voters of Washington, the Washington Education Association and […]
September 08 , 2015 - Mary Strow
Possible teacher strike in Seattle centers on pay, instructional time
Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle teachers union agreed over the Labor Day weekend on two items: recess time and pay for substitute teachers. As of this afternoon, however, teacher pay and the length of the school day remain major points of contention. Without a deal today, teachers will go on strike tomorrow – what […]
September 04 , 2015 - Mary Strow
The latest news on teacher strikes
Teacher strikes are dominating local news headlines: The Seattle teachers' union yesterday voted to strike starting next Wednesday, Sept. 9 (the first day of school), if they don't reach an agreement with the Seattle School District. Pasco teachers, who've been on strike since the first day of school in that district on Sept. 1, were […]