The Wild West of Education: An Investigation into Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools
A charter school for adults receives hundreds of millions of public-school funding spent lavishly and with minimal oversight.
A Northern California charter school prides itself on educating adults and a large immigrant and refugee population, but whistleblowers and some critics describe the charter school as cult-like, toxic and say the school’s leaders are capitalizing off these students, rather than truly educating them.
For over a year, ABC10 investigated Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools and found millions of public-school funds being used liberally. Yet, with little oversight, the school keeps expanding across California. In what insiders call an unregulated school system, over 30 current and past employees came forward for this ABC10 Originals investigation, "The Wild West of Education."
Episode 1 A controversial beginning
Charter schools are a point of contention in the education world. In episode one of this ABC10 year-long investigation, we explain California’s charter system and the concerns over little oversight of Highlands – a charter created in Sacramento County. With a controversial beginning that included conflicts of interest, an elected school board member using her “position of power to influence decisions” and questionable spending, Highlands’ whistleblowers and insiders say the school has evolved into the “wild west of education,” lacking regulation and prioritizing leaderships’ whims rather than student outcomes.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Linda Fowler is a half-time employee and makes an annual salary of $53,392.20.
Episode 2 Speak up, shut out: An inside look at Highlands’ work culture
The Sacramento area charter school has grown larger than many California State Universities with around 15,000 students and sites across the state. As the school grew, one former teacher recalls how often new students were added to her class. But there was a problem...
“I had never met them.”
Like all public schools, Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools gets money from attendance – hundreds of millions of tax dollars each year – but some current and former Highlands employees say leadership pushed teachers to boost attendance numbers. If you refused? You’d feel the repercussions. In episode two, ABC10 investigates Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools’ lavish spending and work culture, uncovering questionable practices of a charter school that touts a shining, hopeful mission – while giving a voice to over 30 employees who’ve felt silenced, until now.
Episode 3 Following the money... hundreds of millions of public-school funds
Leadership at Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools isn’t shy about using public school funds. In two years, ABC10 found the charter school spent over $3 million on travel to places like San Diego, Nashville, New Orleans, Las Vegas, New York and France.
Our year-long investigation found expensive trips aren’t the only way Highlands spends their funding. The school has spent millions on lobbying efforts, legislative groups, nonprofit organizations and a sports show. They hired well-known community figures with no background in education, spent millions of dollars on cell phones and tablets, organized big social events, costly raffles, participated in expensive golf tournaments and more.
The charter school's leadership team also receives six-figure salaries, yet few have educational experience or credentials.
Highlands’ insiders question the school’s fiscal policies asking why so much is being spent with so few students graduating? In part three of “The Wild West of Education,” ABC10 follows the money to find hundreds of millions being spent with minimal oversight.
Episode 4 Nowhere to go: A lack of oversight by local and state agencies
“It’s absurd it’s had to come to this: to going to the media," a current Highlands teacher said. “When people have been trying, for about a decade, to get attention about what’s really happening.”
Over 30 Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools current and former employees came to ABC10 over the year we’ve been investigating - many called the charter school by the nickname, “the wild west.” Their boss is on all HR emails. Records show the school’s board is rarely asked to approve spending. And the agency that’s supposed to provide regulation over Highlands, Twin Rivers Unified School District, gets millions of dollars from the charter school and has never visited a school site outside Sacramento.
Only after ABC10’s outreach and questions to the California Department of Education did they launch an internal review of the charter school. Our investigation gives a voice to employees who’ve felt trapped over the last decade and questions local and state agencies responsible for the oversight as critics say these agencies are not regulating the charter school.
Episode 5 Discussion with charter school expert
Follow up Educators take concerns to school board
Teachers take concerns over Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools to Twin Rivers Unified School District Board of Trustees. They didn't get a response from board members, neither did we.