FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2016, file photo, children hold signs during a rally in support of charter schools at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. On Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, the Washington Supreme Court upheld most of the state's charter school law, eliminating the specter that the classrooms serving more than 3,000 students might have to close. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
SEATTLE – A state high court decision upholding the Washington state charter school system marks the end of a decades-long political fight over the publicly funded, privately run schools.
Washington in 2012 was one of the last states to set up a charter school law, though it was among the first to try to institute the education model.
Fierce fighting to set up the schools have spanned the past 24 years in legislatures, elections and the courts.
The court upheld the new lottery-supported funding model but warned against using state general fund money to compensate for the growing number of children expected to enroll as the sector grows.
The decision also preserves the 12 schools that are now serving about 3,400 students.
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