Halsey said after the meeting that the commission is working under the assumption that it must cease operations by Sept. 24 — 20 days after the court ruling. That is the timeframe in which parties to the case can ask the court to reconsider its decision.
That includes laying off commission staff and closing out contracts with the state's charter schools.
The nine-member commission has an office in Olympia and appointed members from all over the state. It was authorized by the charter school initiative approved by Washington voters in 2012.
The Washington State Charter Schools Association, an organization that supports and advocates for Washington's new charters, announced Tuesday that it had vowed to keep all nine of the schools open for the school year through grants and private donations.
At the same time, the association said it's working with its legal team to ask the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling. The court, in issuing its ruling Sept. 4, also said it would send the case back to King County Superior Court, where it originated in 2013, for a new court order.
No state per-pupil funding has been distributed to charters for the current school year. That money was due to be paid out Sept. 30. Halsey said that if the Supreme Court reconsiders or grants the schools an extension to operate, charter schools could receive their September state funding.
"But that's a real wild card right now," he added.
Charter supporters want Gov. Jay Inslee to call a special session of the Legislature this year to come up with a legal solution. Barring that, they're hopeful it will be addressed in the regular session that opens in January.
The commission Wednesday approved a motion asking that Halsey work through the state attorney general's office to seek a "legal fix" that would allow charter schools to remain open until the end of the school year so that the Legislature can explore possible remedies.
Charters have enrolled an estimated 1,200 students across the state. Three of the state's nine charters opened this year in Tacoma, with about 400 students. They are SOAR Academy, Destiny Charter Middle School and Summit Olympus High School.
The charter commission is scheduled to hold its next meeting Sept. 17 in Tacoma. The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the STAR Center, 3873 S. 66th St.