‘It’s heartbreaking’: Tacoma charter school to close, leaving 1 left in Pierce County

Summit Olympus, a Tacoma charter school, recently announced plans to close after the school year , citing chronic low enrollment and ensuing fiscal issues.

For Jesica Vega's family, Summit Olympus high school proved to be a game-changer. Her stepson, 18, had gotten into trouble as a student at a typical public school. Vega's 16-year-old son, who's on the autism spectrum, also used to get bullied.

Both boys have thrived since moving to Summit, she said. They've received ample attention and care and developed strong bonds with faculty.

Learning that the school plans to close was a blow.

"I think for a lot of us, it's heartbreaking twofold," Vega said. "For our own families, but also thinking about families who may just have kids who need a different environment than a regular public school."

On Oct. 17, Summit Public Schools Washington board of directors voted to close the Tacoma facility, 409 Puyallup Ave., according to the meeting minutes.

The campus is one of two charter schools in Pierce County , the other being Commencement Bay Elementary, 1301 E. 34th St., according to the Washington State Charter Schools Association's website. As of mid-November, there are 17 such schools statewide serving about 5,000 students, or 0.2% of public-school kids in the Evergreen State.

Charter schools in Washington for years have navigated a rocky legal landscape and battled stigma. Advocates insist that they're places where each and every student is served.

A tempestuous legal climate Charter schools are public institutions that offer tuition-free education tailored to students' needs, according to the state charter-school association's website. They also have to meet strict regulatory conditions .

Such campuses usually feature a board of directors, rather than an elected school board, and are run like a nonprofit , The Seattle Times reported in March.

David Knight, associate professor in the University of Washington's College of Education, told The News Tribune that the state has long been cautious about charter schools.

Typically, such campuses across the country close because of less-than-stellar quality, he said — and that's by design. Knight likened it to a new business entering the market: If it doesn't have a sound business model, then chances are it will someday shutter.

"So, with charter schools, the idea was that different private actors would open up schools using public funds, try out a particular model and then, if it worked, maybe enrollment would go up," Knight said. "There would be, like, a market signal that it must be an effective charter-school model."

In 2019, 100% of Summit Olympus' inaugural graduating class was accepted to a university or college, according to its website.

To succeed, charter schools require stable funding from the state, Dan Effland, executive director at Seattle's Summit Atlas charter, recently told The Seattle Medium. Such schools typically serve higher rates of kids with disabilities and students of color, he said.

Charter schools were legalized in Washington via referendum in 2012 following three failed attempts, according to The Seattle Times. Then in 2015, the state's high court found the institutions' method of funding to be unconstitutional.

The state later effectively reauthorized such schools' contracts, attracting even more legal challenges, said Tiffany Reynolds, executive director of Summit Olympus. The Washington Supreme Court affirmed in 2018 that "multiple elements of the [new] Charter Schools Act were, in fact, constitutional.

"Despite this legal validation, the ongoing legal and financial challenges contributed to an unfavorable enrollment environment," Reynolds continued via email. "Following the 2015 court ruling, Summit Olympus was never able to fully enroll a freshman class again, and its enrollment steadily declined since."

Summit's founding ninth-grade class counted 129 students, she said. By this year, the number of incoming freshman had sunk to 15.

Faced with an operating deficit and other hurdles, school leadership and the board mulled whether to close, Reynolds said. The idea was presented during a public hearing and several board meetings before coming to a vote.

'It's devastating' Charter parents often tout the schools' focus on college- and career-readiness as strong points. Vega, for instance, highlighted Summit Olympus' "expeditions," during which kids could become familiar with professional settings.

One example: taking a cooking class from a chef and learning about the restaurant business, she said.

Public speaker and youth advocate Thrett Brown has worked with Summit Olympus students to hone their entrepreneurial skills via the expedition program. He said he's helped out at other schools in Tacoma, too. None have left as much of an impression as the charter campus.

Brown dropped out of school in eighth grade and received his GED in prison at 21. He said if he had been able to attend a school like Summit Olympus, it likely would have altered his trajectory.

"I didn't feel school was important enough to me, and I didn't feel like the way that the school operated aligned with my interests," he said. "I felt that way for years, honestly — until I went to Summit Olympus."

The charter reflects how Brown believes that schools should be run — certainly not the "cookie-cutter concept" of traditional institutions.

Now that Summit Olympus will be saying goodbye, its parents will have to figure out where to enroll their kids. Vega is looking toward Curtis High School in University Place.

Learning of the closure has been painful for families like hers.

"It is devastating. It's heartbreaking," Vega said. "I think every family that I know really loves that school."