School Board unanimously opposes charter schools initiative

The Shoreline School Board voted unanimously at its Oct. 1 meeting to oppose Initiative 1240, which would allow the creation of public charter schools in Washington state.

The complete resolution follows:

WHEREAS, Initiative 1240, which authorizes the creation of a public charter school system, has been certified by the Secretary of State in Washington and will appear on the November statewide ballot; and

WHEREAS, the position of the Washington State School Directors’ Association is that public education funding should be overseen by school officials elected in their local communities; and

WHEREAS, under Initiative 1240 public education resources would be placed under private management, without the public accountability that our communities and taxpayers expect and deserve; and

WHEREAS, Initiative 1240 will undermine local control by allowing appointed charter boards and out-of-state charter management companies to operate charter schools with little-to-no accountability to Washington taxpayers; and

WHEREAS, in late August 2012, the Washington State School Directors’ Association Board of Directors unanimously voted to oppose Initiative 1240 for its lack of oversight by locally-elected officials;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Shoreline School District Board of Directors opposes Initiative 1240.

Signed by

Deborah Ehrlichman, President

Mike Jacobs, Vice President

Dick Potter, Director

Dick Nicholson, Director

David Wilson, Director