Charter school leaders from five states will gather in Tacoma Dec. 15 to talk about their experiences in launching charter schools.

Keynote speakers include:
• Yvonne Chan, founder of Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in Los Angeles. Vaughn was the first traditional school in California to convert to charter status.
• Marta Reyes, California’s first director of that state’s Division of Charter Schools.

The conference will also draw representatives from some school networks that are well-known in the charter world, including California-based Green Dot Public Charter Schools and KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) of Colorado.

The day-long event is co-sponsored by the Seattle-based Washington Charter School Resource Center and the Association of Washington Business.

The conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, at Philip Hall on the University of Washington Tacoma Campus. Registration costs $25 in advance. After Dec. 9, the cost is $35.

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