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Roots Charter continued from page 1 cer. ``We would want the state to work with us and not be in the situation of being intrud- ers,’’ Petruzzi said, adding that he isn’t inti- mately knowledgeable about Washington’s charter schools initiative. Green Dot, which has about 10,000 stu- dents enrolled it its 18 schools, brags about its graduation rate (85 percent in 2011) and the college acceptance rate for its graduates (91 percent in 2011). Petruzzi said the earliest his organization could open a school in —ASPIRE CEO James Wilcox. Washington, if everything is right, would be 2014. Charter schools usually supple- ment their budget with foundation for Public Charter Schools, said Todd dollars and one of the biggest donors has Ziebarth, the advocacy organization’s vice been Seattle’s Bill & Melinda Gates Foun- president for state advocacy and support. dation. Although the charter organizations He feels it would attract successful charter said they wouldn’t be enticed by the possi- bility of being in Gates Foundation’s home organizations from other states. Another charter organization keeping a town, Ziebarth didn’t agree. Aspire Public Schools, one of the largest close eye on Washington’s election is Los Angeles-based Green Dot Public Schools. charter management organizations with Green Dot, which focuses on middle and more than 30 schools and 12,000 students high schools in low income areas, is just served, would also consider expansion into starting to expand outside of Los Angeles Washington state if the new law set up fund- but has yet to find a good fit on the West ing formulas and access to facilities in a fair way, said CEO James Wilcox. Coast. Aspire, which also focuses on low- The key for Green Dot would be making sure they had enough dollars to open and income students from its California base, run schools in Washington and that the state has another requirement before moving to a wants to work with them, said Marco new region: they want to partner with local Petruzzi, president and chief executive offi- school districts, not compete with them, ‘We’re not really interested in going and fighting with the local school system’ PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED ing based on student enrollment, just like other schools. But public charter schools would be exempt from some state regula- tions, including some of the rules regarding hiring and firing teachers. The Washington initiative was based on a model law created by the National Alliance Carver Gayton and Speedy Bryant joined hundreds of other long time Washingtonians Sunday Sept. 2 at the 40th Annual Roots Picnic on the grounds of the Northwest African American Museum. This year’s event paid tribute to Washington State’s 41st Division National Guard Band, the only all black band among the lower 48 states National Guard Units. Wilcox said. ``We’re not really interested in going and fighting with the local school system,’’ he said. The Washington initiative would make charter operators eligible for state matching funds for school construction, and they would have first dibs to rent or buy public school buildings that are not being used by the district in which the new school is locat- ed. A conversion charter school, which is set up by a school district to take the place of an existing public school whose students have been failing to meet state education stan- dards, would be able to use the school’s existing building without paying rent to the district, according to the initiative. Sanchez argued that these students and here and come here with small children, can also be current students. Dovetailing with the new program, their parents have contributed their share to who are obviously not making the choice,’’ said Craig Fisher, another member of West’s Sanchez plans to lead an effort to get a Washington’s economy. They pay taxes — group. ``They come here to have a better measure passed in Olympia during the next the chief source of income for the state’s life, if they come here for that and if the legislative session that would make young general budget. And many of the students who would benefit are children and the children are bene- children of agricultural fited, that’s another incentive for workers, who help main- the parents. I think it’s better if we tain one of the state’s approach it for the standpoint of chief economic sectors. legal immigration.’’ ``What’s at stake is giv- In June, President Barack ing kids hope,’’ Sanchez Obama’s administration announced said. ``Often times for any that young illegal immigrants child in poverty, they brought to the United States as chil- — Bob West, chairman of Grassroots of Yakima don’t understand what dren are able to apply for two-year permissions to stay in the country if Valley, a tea party group higher education means or what it costs, it’s especial- they meet certain requirements. ly true for undocumented The Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals illegal immigrants eligible for state finan- students, especially for their parents who could expand the rights of more than 1 mil- cial aid. He tried in 2009, but the measure don’t have the slightest clue. If kids grow up lion young illegal immigrants nationwide. didn’t make it past committees controlled saying to themselves, I’m not going to col- lege because I’m an illegal alien ... it They are able to apply for work permits as by Democrats. Sanchez said the amount money that the becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.’’ well, though they don’t obtain legal residen- Students who are illegal immigrants cy here or a path to citizenship. Under the new allocation would increase is small com- already qualify for in-state tuition. rules, people who qualify for the program pared to the overall pot. The state estimated in 2009 that making illegal immigrants who are students illegi- ble for financial aid would cost about $7 million by the 2011-2013 budget cycle. State analysts assumed the change in eligi- bility would add more than 1,000 students statewide in any given year. But Rachelle Sharpe, director of financial aid at the Washington Student Achievement Council, said it’s really not known how many students who are illegal immigrants are in the state, much less if they would apply for college. Those estimates, she said, were given to provide lawmakers an idea of increment. Should the bill pass, the added students would likely be absorbed into the already growing demand for state financial aid. Even if eligibility is expanded to these stu- dents, it’s not guaranteed they would receive aid. Only 2 percent of all students who receive state grants only get state money, she said. Tuition continued from page 1 ‘The state is in the hole by significant amounts of money. We’re gonna give significant resources to people who I think were given illegally a legal status’ Internet continued from page 1 ``We’ve seen an increase in all types of cyber crime,’’ Durkan said in a recent inter- view. ``The hope is to really put a focus on education and prevention. We’d rather do that than some of the heartbreaking cases we do.’’ The tips for kids include a series of warn- ings: Don’t post personal information online. Don’t send inappropriate photos or messages by email or text. Don’t write online posts making it clear no one is at your home. Do remember that people can lie online; someone who says they’re a 12- year-old girl could really be an older man. For parents, they include guidelines for dealing with a child’s use of technology: Set limits for how much time your children can spend online, and know whom they’re com- municating with. Make sure you have all of your child’s passwords, and review their Bethan Cantrell, a Bellevue mother of two school-aged children, is an Internet safety advocate who has given seminars on the ‘We’ve seen an increase in all types of cyber crime. The hope is to really put a focus on education and prevention. We’d rather do that than some of the heartbreaking cases we do’ — U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan emails and messages periodically. Keep the computer in a shared space, rather than in your child’s bedroom. topic to parent-teacher groups. She said the tips include a lot of common sense, and some of the most important advice for par- ents is simply to talk to their children ration- ally about the potential dangers. ``Parents listen to people who are in a position of authority,’’ she said. ``If they actually take the time to pull that piece of paper out of the backpack and read it, there’s a good chance it will have a good effect.’’ The students involved in the Des Moines party were never charged. Mount Rainier High Principal Julie Hunter said that after it happened, her pri- mary concern was supporting students involved in or troubled by the episode, and making sure they knew they could talk to counselors about it. September 5, 2012 The Seattle Skanner Page 3
