WEA statement on WA Supreme Court's charter school decision

Washington Education Association members are disappointed in the state Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Washington’s charter school law. We still believe it is wrong to divert public funds to privately run organizations that are not accountable to local voters.

Despite the ruling, WEA members will continue to advocate for all of our state’s 1.1 million public school students, including issues like school safety, local levy flexibility and access to counselors and mental health services. We look forward to working with Gov. Inslee and the Legislature on those crucial priorities in the upcoming legislative session.

Even with our victory in the court’s earlier McCleary school funding decision, we still have a lot of work to ensure students have the resources and support they need to be successful.

The Washington Constitution makes it clear that our state’s paramount duty is to provide a quality education for all students regardless of where they live or their family background.

The Washington Education Association represents tens of thousands of K-12 teachers, support professionals, higher education faculty, retired educators and aspiring teachers and is the state’s largest education union.