W hen public charter school PRIDE Prep faced the possibility of losing its authorization last week, it wasn't the first time the future of the school hung in the balance. Charter schools in Washington have been plagued by uncertainty ever since voters approved their creation in 2012. If it wasn't a state Supreme Court ruling threatening their existence, it was a lack of stable funding or low enrollment. In 2019 alone, four Washington charter schools closed due in part to enrollment issues. But PRIDE Prep last week was on shaky ground for different reasons. The school had poor academic performance based on standardized test scores, and in April state auditors flagged issues with school financial records and the leadership of its founder and superintendent, Brenda McDonald.