Washington, D.C. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools president and CEO Nina Rees released the following statement today in response to the lawsuit filed by the Washington Education Association, El Centro de la Raza and the League of Women Voters of Washington against Washingtons charter public school students:
“We are profoundly disappointed by the decision to file a misguided lawsuit in an effort to replace the clear will of the voters and a bipartisan majority in the legislature through a flawed, politically motivated agenda. This action is designed to prevent families from exercising their choice and maintain the status quo of an education system that is not working for too many children in the state of Washington.
“As this issue develops, our intention is to continue to fight alongside our partners in Washington, including the Washington State Charter Schools Association, to protect the states strong charter public school law. Washington states charter school law, which is one of the strongest in the country and serves as a model to other states, was initially passed by its voters in 2012 and modified by a bipartisan majority in the legislature in 2016 to provide a high-quality education to underserved students and work to close the incessant opportunity gaps in the education system.
“Unfortunately, this lawsuit ignores both the successful ballot measure and the bipartisan, legislative solution and instead continues a protracted, unnecessary legal and political battle. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools will work tirelessly to defend this law and ensure this fight is not at the expense of students or their futures.”
About Charter Public Schools
Charter public schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Since 2010, many research studies have found that students in charter schools do better in school than their traditional school peers. For example, one study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter schools do a better job teaching low-income students, minority students, and students who are still learning English than traditional schools. Separate studies by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Mathematica Policy Research have found that charter school students are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, stay in college and have higher earnings in early adulthood.
About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit our website at www.publiccharters.org.
