Sometime after 6 p.m. tonight at their regularly scheduled meeting, the Board of Directors for the Seattle Public Schools is expected to pass a resolution officially opposing the charter schools initiative, I-1240:

WHEREAS, the Seattle School Board of Directors believes that the passage of I-1240 could remove or diminish local control of public schools and draw funding away from an already financially stressed system, causing greater hardship for the majority of schools and students within our boundaries; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED, for these reasons, the Seattle School Board of Directors opposes the passage of Initiative 1240.

They wouldn't be the first local school board to oppose I-1240; boards from Tacoma, Renton, Shoreline, and other districts have already voted to voice opposition. The list of No endorsements is long and impressive. And getting longer.

Yesterday, newly installed Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Jose Banda told KUOW that he would be voting against I-1240, citing the lack of accountability he saw with charter schools in California. Banda says that there must be a clear way for failing charter schools to have their charters revoked: "And I know it’s easier said than done, having seen charters operate in California."

And tomorrow, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn will be at El Centro de la Raza on Beacon Hill, along with educators from across the region and across minority communities, all standing together to oppose I-1240.

But, you know, Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, Alice Walton, the Bezos family, and the Seattle Times all think I-1240 is a great idea, so I guess all these professional educators must not know what the fuck they're talking about. Or something.