Layoffs at Highlands charter schools in Sacramento set to take effect in July
Layoffs affecting 79 employees at Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools are set to take effect July 30, as the schools work to stabilize their finances long term.
The move comes after the schools were spared closure when the Sacramento County Board of Education voted on May 19 to overturn Twin Rivers Unified School District’s decision to revoke the schools’ charters.
“These decisions were extremely difficult and were driven by operational and financial realities as the organization continues its restructuring and long-term stabilization efforts under new leadership,” Jonathan Raymond, the executive director of Highlands said in a statement.
The layoff notices were sent out to employees on May 26, according to Highlands.
The schools came under scrutiny last year after it was revealed by the state auditor that they had received $180 million for which they were not eligible and had engaged in wasteful spending and inappropriate hiring practices.
The spending included roughly $2 million on employee trips to San Diego, $80,000 for travel to Maui and $2,600 for a trip to France. The findings led Twin Rivers Unified School District to vote in January to revoke the school’s charter.
But the Sacramento County Board of Education later reversed the revocation in a close vote, with four trustees siding with the TRUSD staff’s recommendation that the schools had addressed the violations and should keep their charters.
The charter faced a sharp drop in enrolled students following the audit findings, with thousands placed on a waiting list. Capital Public Radio reported in September that only 1,900 students were able to enroll that school year, down from 13,700 students previously.
