Charter commission approves three continuity resolutions for Bridge, Cedar Grove and Excel Center

The Washington State Charter School Commission voted Aug. 20 to adopt three separate continuity resolutions that find Bridge Public Schools (Resolution 26‑01), Cedar Grove Public Schools (Resolution 26‑02) and the Excel Center operated by Evergreen Goodwill (Resolution 26‑03) "ready with conditions," moving each applicant into a preopening oversight process.

Commission staff presented cumulative records for each proposal — including application materials, capacity interviews, financial plans, and community feedback — and recommended conditional approvals. For Bridge, staff flagged enrollment demand, special education readiness, finance and governance as areas to address in preopening conditions. Bridge founder Rolando Posada described a phased launch in Yakima aimed at multilingual learners and college preparation.

"Bridge will be built the same way — by listening closely and building with Yakima families," Posada said during his presentation.

Cedar Grove's proposal focused on belonging, rigorous active learning and a college‑preparatory pathway for Spokane students; staff recommended conditions tied to facilities planning, enrollment and operational staffing. Cedar Grove CEO Melissa Petty emphasized local community design and cited data showing the school needs about 3% of Spokane's middle/high market to meet enrollment goals.

Evergreen Goodwill described the Excel Center model for older students and young adults who lack high‑school diplomas and emphasized wraparound services: flexible scheduling, childcare, life coaching and links to employment and postsecondary pathways. Staff recommended conditions to adapt the national Excel Center model to Washington's public charter rules, especially around services for students with disabilities and multilingual learners.

Formal roll‑call votes were recorded in the meeting minutes and the public record. The Bridge resolution passed with the vote recorded as "9 ayes, 1 [extension/abstention]" in the public record; Cedar Grove passed with 9 ayes and 1 abstention; the Excel Center passed with 8 ayes and 2 abstentions. Each resolution lists the specific conditions and preopening milestones the commission will require before a final authorization to open.

The commission noted that adoption of these resolutions does not remove subsequent oversight or rulemaking: staff will work with each proposal team on the preopening checklist and technical assistance plans, and the commission will review fulfillment of conditions before any opening.