WA Board of Ed to draft rules for charter schools Associated Press Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 5:25 pm, Wednesday, January 9, 2013 (AP) — The Washington State Board of Education is ready to take public comment on rules it hopes to adopt in February concerning the next steps toward opening up to eight public charter schools by fall 2014. The rules would establish an annual application and approval process, and timelines for school boards that want to authorize charter schools. In November, voters approved adding charter schools to the mix of public schools in Washington. Before discussing its draft rules, the board heard an outside expert on charter school authorization, who started with an analysis of the new state law and his advice for success. Design your system with failure in mind so the inevitable closing of schools will go smoothly, advised Alex Medler, vice president of policy and advocacy for the National Association of Charter School Authorizers.