Washington i 1240 - Charter Schools

This measure would authorize up to forty publicly-funded charter schools open to all students, operated through approved, nonreligious, nonprofit organizations, with government oversight; and modify certain laws applicable to them as public schools.
Should this measure be enacted into law?
[  ]  Yes
[  ]  No

General Assumptions:

·         Estimates assume 40 charter schools will be authorized over five years. The proportion authorized by a local public school district (“school district”) or by the Washington Charter School Commission (“Commission”) is unknown.

·         Charter schools would be tuition-free public schools within the state system of common schools under the supervision of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and State Board of Education (“Board”).

·         State funding for charter schools would be provided in the same manner as other public schools.

·         It is unknown where charter schools will be located, their size or the composition of their staff or students (“characteristics”).

·         Estimates assume charter schools could first be authorized for operation for the 2013–14 school year. 

·         The effective date of the initiative is Dec. 6, 2012.

·         Estimates are described using the state’s fiscal year (FY) of July 1 through June 30.

State and Local Government Cost Estimate – Assumptions

The state will incur known costs to implement the initiative estimated to total $3,090,700 over five fiscal years. See Table 2.1 for details on state estimated costs. Assumptions by agency are as follows:

·         The initiative establishes a nine-member Commission as an independent state agency. The Commission’s mission is to authorize charter schools. Estimates assume the need for operational and staff support to the Commission at the cost of $970,300 over five fiscal years.

·         The initiative requires the Board to develop an annual application, approval process and timelines for entities seeking approval to be charter school authorizers no later than 90 days after the effective date of the initiative. The Board is also responsible for oversight of the performance and effectiveness of authorizers it approves. Duties also include the setting of an authorizer oversight fee. The Board, in collaboration with the Commission, must issue an annual report on the state’s charter schools for the preceding year. In the fifth year following the operation of charter schools for a full school year, the annual report must contain a recommendation on whether the Legislature should authorize the establishment of additional charter schools. Estimates assume these new duties will require additional operational and staff support to the Board at the cost of $815,000 over five fiscal years.

·         Estimates assume the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction will require additional operational and staff support to allocate and reconcile funds paid to charter schools and to perform duties as the Board’s fiscal agent. These costs are estimated at $764,400 over five fiscal years.

·         Charter school employees’ certificated and classified staff may participate in public employee collective bargaining. Any bargaining unit or units established by the charter school must be separate from other bargaining units in the school districts, educational service districts or institutions of higher education. Each charter school is a separate employer from the school district. It is not known to what extent charter school employees will seek representation and collectively bargain. If all charter school employees were to seek representation and bargain, the maximum estimated cost to the Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission is estimated at $461,000 over five fiscal years.

·         Charter school employees may also participate in the state’s health benefit programs through the Public Employees Benefits Board in the same manner as other public school employees. Charter school employees must become members of state retirement systems if their membership does not jeopardize the federal tax status of these retirement systems. The one-time cost of seeking a federal tax status determination is estimated at $80,000 in fiscal year 2013. No additional state costs are assumed for the provisions of retirement contributions and health care benefits as those are a component of the state’s basic education funding to school districts.