The decision by federal authorities to suspend Kevin Johnson's St. HOPE Academy and to bar Johnson and St. HOPE "from all access to federal grants and contracts" has left hundreds of innocent students, their parents and teachers in a quandary. That's not fair.
So far, the government has failed to make clear whether its actions will affect funding for PS 7 and Sacramento High School, the two independent charter schools founded by Johnson's St. HOPE organization. Federal authorities need to clarify the situation immediately.
Together the two schools receive $1.3 million in federal funds. Most of that money, about $900,000, comes in the form of No Child Left Behind grants to improve academic performance. Another $400,000 pays for school breakfast and lunch programs.
Rick Maya, who heads St. HOPE Schools, is adamant that the suspension will not impact the schools. St. HOPE Schools, he says, is a nonprofit entity with a separate board independent from St. HOPE Academy, the nonprofit that is at the center of the federal probe. It seems likely that Maya is right about that, but Sacramento City Unified School District officials need to confirm it and notify parents, teachers and students as soon as possible.
Federal authorities should cooperate in that effort. Whatever violations Kevin Johnson and St. HOPE Academy may have committed – and it's not yet clear they've done anything wrong – students at Sac High and PS 7 shouldn't be penalized for it.
Beyond their impact on the schools, the accusations against Johnson and his St. HOPE operations have rocked Sacramento's mayoral race. Inspector General Gerald Walpin says Johnson and St. HOPE Academy diverted federal funds improperly in a variety of ways and used AmeriCorps volunteers for purposes that violated federal rules.
Whether the charges are minor administrative missteps, as Johnson has characterized them, or "potentially criminal," as the inspector general has said, remains unclear.
Only U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott can resolve that question. The charges against Johnson have been referred to his office for possible prosecution. In an interview with The Bee, Scott said he is "sensitive to the bigger picture" and promised to move "as expeditiously as we can in a professional manner to make the decisions required of us in a timely manner."
By timely, we hope the U.S. attorney means before voters go to the polls. In fairness to Johnson and the public, Sacramento needs to know whether the charges laid out in the inspector general's press release are serious or not. To leave voters and Johnson dangling this close to an election would be unfair.
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