The Judges Who Stole School Choice
Eight new charter schools in Washington state opened this fall, but on Friday the state Supreme Court delivered a grim surprise by overturning the state's charter law. Welcome back to the public school monopoly, kids.
The 6-3 ruling is as politically driven as it is overreaching and legally flawed. In 2012 voters approved a ballot initiative sponsored by Bill Gates and others that authorized up to 40 charter schools over five years. The law requires that charters receive per-pupil funding equal to that of traditional public schools and that taxpayer dollars follow the student.
The education axis of unions and administrators struck back in a lawsuit claiming that charters violate constitutional limits on funding for "common schools" (public schools). They also claimed charters aren't accountable to local voters.
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