Give Highlands Charter School time to finish its comeback | Opinion

Sacramento knows what it means to rebuild.

I’ve lived it. When I served as president of the Sacramento City School Board, our community faced one of its darkest chapters: deep budget deficits, state intervention looming and a system on the verge of collapse.

That’s when I met Jonathan Raymond, who was serving as our superintendent. Together, we rolled up our sleeves and set out to restore trust, raise standards and put students first. We didn’t just steady the ship — we all built something better.

We created a central food kitchen to bring fresh, local meals to every child. We expanded before- and after-school programs so that families had safe, enriching places for their kids. We recentered the district on the simple but powerful idea that every decision should begin and end with one question: Is it good for children?

I saw Raymond lead through crisis with integrity, courage, competence and compassion. And now, more than a decade later, I see him doing it again — this time at Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools.

Tomorrow, the Twin Rivers Unified School District will hold a hearing that could determine Highlands’ future. Earlier this year, the California State Auditor issued a report detailing real problems under former leadership, including financial missteps, weak district oversight and governance failures that betrayed public trust. Those findings are serious and demanded action.

But what has happened since then has been extraordinary: Highlands didn’t hide, it reformed.

Within weeks, every sitting board member resigned or agreed to step down. The school adopted over 100 new policies strengthening transparency, fiscal discipline and compliance. It re-credentialed its teaching staff, implemented new attendance systems, rebuilt financial controls, adopted an updated curriculum and partnered with UMass Global to create a professional pipeline for future teachers.

I’m not surprised that at the center of all this progress stands Raymond, a leader I saw help Sacramento City Unified not just survive, but thrive.

Raymond came to Highlands because he believes in the power of second chances; for schools, for systems and for people.

The stakes could not be higher: If Highlands closes, thousands of Sacramento residents — many of them immigrants and refugees — will lose a lifeline to education, language and work. These are mothers learning English so they can talk to their child’s teacher; fathers working to earn a diploma to move from shift work to a stable job; the children of Afghan interpreters who risked their lives for U.S. troops, now working to build a new life here.

Highlands offers adults the chance to learn English, earn a diploma and gain technical skills at no cost. When Highlands works, families rise. And when families rise, the entire community benefits.

That includes the Twin Rivers Unified School District itself. Many Highlands students are the parents of Twin Rivers children. When those parents can read, write and speak English, their kids do better in school. When adults find good jobs, they lift households out of poverty. Highlands doesn’t compete with Twin Rivers — it strengthens it.

The district has a duty to oversee charter schools with care, and I’m glad they are stepping up to the charge. But closing Highlands now would punish students for their own mistakes.

The better and more responsible path is to grant Highlands a window to complete its turnaround, with formal six-month check-ins to assess continued progress. That ensures accountability without undermining a transformation that’s already well underway.

I believe Raymond can finish this work. I know his character and his values, and I know he will hold himself and his team to the highest standards — the same way he did in Sacramento City Unified. If, at the end of the day, he believes Highlands cannot meet its obligations to students, he will say so. That’s the kind of leader he is.

But right now, Highlands deserves the time to prove what’s already evident to me. This is a school rebuilding itself with integrity, raising standards for every student and caring deeply for those who depend on it most.

Tomorrow, I urge Twin Rivers trustees to stand with Highlands and our community. Don’t close the door on second chances and our students. Let’s give this school the time to finish the comeback it has already begun.

Jay Hansen is former president of the Sacramento City School Board.