And The Surveys Say…

Last spring and summer we surveyed a few groups of families, staff, and school leaders (including board members) to get their perspectives on a few different things. One survey asked what they’re struggling with in the charter sector and what’s working. Another asked what they’re proud of, what they learned over the school year, and what they are hearing from their communities.

We sent the surveys out knowing that not every one in Washington’s charter community feels safe to speak openly.

Uneven parent-staff, teacher-administration, and administration-government/-funder power dynamics can create fear, isolation, and a reluctance to ask for help, not to mention the very real chance of facing retaliation for exposing the truth about a situation. With that understanding, our goals were start a conversation and encourage a learning approach to the realities we are facing together. Happily, some brave folks responded with their honest thoughts.

Out of respect for their courage, here is what they said—without interpretation and with identifiers removed:

On their struggles

“I think Charters often struggle from what I’ve seen due to the difficulty they have providing all back office supports and being an independent district with minimal resources to do this and very little funding.”

“Something I struggle with is compensation. District schools are able to offer teachers a competitive salary based on many factors. I love working for a charter school, but I could be making up to $13,000 more at the District based on my additional degrees and professional development clock hours.”

“Limited funding compared to district schools. I think this is a huge struggle for charter schools that people overlook. If we want to provide students with the best education we can offer, we need more money for additional resources and support.”

“I feel we have struggled with offering a valuable and competitive compensation package when we do not get the same level of funding as the surrounding districts and schools. It makes it much more difficult to retain employees when other schools are able to afford sign on bonuses and other monetary incentives we have a hard time competing with.”

“What I feel like I struggled with this year is working with scholars that have experienced trauma and knowing what I can do to help the child and the family.”

“Something that I struggle with is our school numbers, we still have spots but can't seem to find where is the problem.”

On what they’re proud about and what’s working

“I feel good about being able to get out in our community and reaching out to our families.”

“I love how charter schools have more flexibly based on staff and community feedback! At my school, I have always felt heard when giving feedback and see leaders try to compromise as best they can.”

“I feel proud that we remain committed to our mission and vision and keeping in alignment with that is the most important factor when making decisions and planning for the future.”

“Charters are definitely in a unique position to pivot easier than other public schools in order to meet their families where they are at.”

“I'm very proud of learning so many new practices, going to events.”

On what they’ve learned

“Staff & students/families are looking for something different. The "great resignation" has affected charter schools as far as Human Capital, but also in the way of students leaving school in search of something that better fits their lifestyle and needs. This has affected our charter school, as well.”

“What I learned during the school year is we are still dealing with COVID. The last day of school was a little tough for scholars. I would saying having more conversation around the last day of school. However, we are big participants in Juneteenth and PRIDE so that keeps me busy.”

“Community is so important to keep our school numbers where they need to be, but building community can also be challenging.”

On what they’re hearing from their communities

“Our community clearly is wanting flexibility, open and free flowing lines of communication with leadership and staff.”

“I believe our community is really looking for opportunities for families to come together and celebrate their scholars and each other. We finally started having in person family events and had great reception and turn out. Hopefully, we don’t get another COVID wave with this new variant preventing us from doing more in person family events.”

“For our community I feel educating family on school choice. Before their only option for school was private school, public schools or home schools. Now we have a charter school and that open up another option/choice for families. Opening the door, parents can understand that school choice is important.”

“I think for us is more representation.”

On what new directions they’re taking in response to community needs

“We are planning a lot of really amazing family events for next year that will really bond our school together and help to manifest a more tightknit feeling with the school’s community.”

“We will be doing more acknowledgment of special monthly holidays/events for family. We have a diversity background of families and it is important to make sure they see themselves not just in the classroom but all around the school.”

“Collaboration with other WA charter schools.”

“We are still like a new school and we are working on growing and creating more family events and I am looking to do more connecting with families so I know what they need.”

P.S. A note for WA FAB

“I feel torn participating in this group. I think there might be different motives between group members that don't seem to be in the best interest for teachers. If the purpose of this group is to advocate for the WA charter sector, I am all in. If the purpose of this group is to close down Impact, I do not wish to participate.”

We really appreciated this note in one of the surveys. It sparked a passionate discussion among our board members and made it clear we have a lot of work to do to build trust with the charter school community. As our board treasurer reminded us during that conversation, we need to be as transparent and open as we want our children’s schools to be.

Recognizing that part of building trust is being open about who we are and what and why we are doing, we’ve added an About Us page to our website with information about our mission, vision, and values, board members, meeting agendas and materials, and a list of organizations we’ve worked with in the past.

On WA FAB’s purpose and motivations

We are here to build a statewide network of families and teachers who want to come together for the success of our students. We expect excellence from our charter school and believe that our communities are the true accountability backstop for Washington's charter education system.

We recognize and respect the passion, vision, and determination of school founders and leaders. We also recognize that once approved, each charter school becomes and remains responsible for following through on their promises to families.

To stay open, charter school board members must ensure the terms of their contract with school authorizers are met. If a school closes, it means they didn’t or couldn’t follow through on their promises, fulfill the terms of the contract, and/or lost the trust of the public.

By listening carefully and thoughtfully surfacing family, teacher, and student concerns we aim to support these schools and their leaders in recognizing and making needed improvements so they can thrive and support their students’ success.

We cannot shield a school from the consequences of their mistakes, neither can we (nor do we want to) force a school to close. What we can and will do when issues come to our attention is shine a light on what is happening and what could be better and invite our schools to continue in the hard work of operating and educating in collaboration with their communities.

Until next time, Carla