(bright orchestral music) - Highlands Community Charter, the largest adult education charter in the region, faces potential closure after a state audit flagged millions in questionable spending in governance.

Executive Director Jonathan Raymond joins us to answer the tough questions.

Mr.

Raymond, on November 4th, Twin Rivers Unified School District voted to revoke your charter for the school.

What led to that action, and what's your response to them?

- Yeah, well, first, Scott, thank you for having me on in studio today.

I really appreciate it, It's nice to be here, and get a chance to talk a little more about Highlands and our story.

The process that Twin Rivers has gone through, where they've issued the notice of violation to revoke our charter, you know, it's a technical process, it's a process that they issued in June when the state audit that looked into at the commission of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to look into actions at Highlands, as well as actions of Twin Rivers, the County Office of Education, and several departments, including the Department of Education, came out with a lot of findings.

And just before those audit findings were gonna be publicly released, Twin Rivers issued their own set of, what they called, violations.

- Now, you've been with Highlands for how long now?

- [Jonathan] I'm in my fourth month.

- You're in your fourth month.

So you're like the fireman coming into the building that's already on fire.

And you've got a long and storied history here in the Sacramento region, and you've come back to take on this challenge.

- [Jonathan] Right.

- Why, given your career and your track record and everything you've done since you left Sacramento last time, why would you come back in and take on this challenge?

(Jonathan chuckles) - Yeah, it's a great question.

You know, my wife asked me that too, Scott, but, you know, really two reasons.

First of all, this is a community that I was fortunate to serve during really challenging times, and it's a community that I care deeply about, I love Sacramento.

And, secondly, the mission of Highlands, who our students are, who we serve, some of the most vulnerable and underserved members of the Sacramento community, it's such a black and white mission that I wanted to come back, I wanted to take it on, and I wanted to make sure that we could transform this school, because serving these students is absolutely essential.

- So when you walked in four months ago, what did you find?

- Well, there was a lot that I was able to uncover before coming.

- Really?

- As the recruiter who lifted this opportunity for me, he said, "It's a bit of a hot mess."

(chuckles) Well, kind of an understatement, but it was an understatement when I came to Sac City back in 2009.

So, you know, I found lot of issues around compliance that, in essence, many of the things that the state auditors had found were true.

And many of the lack of systems, the lack of processes, policies, and simply poor decisions and lack of leadership, it was everywhere.

- Just give us a sense for level-setting purposes, one or two of the worst things that you found that surprised you as a longtime leader in education.

What did you see that the state auditor uncovered, or maybe you uncovered on your own, that you were like, "Wow-" - Yeah.

- "We got a job on our hands."

- If we put aside what I thought was a really weak education program, and the curriculum, and all those pieces that were being used, some of the decisions on how public dollars were spent, in my view.

- Give us an example.

- Well, you know, whenever there would be a trip to say, open up a site, or to go to a conference, you know, instead of sending one or two staff, you know, they would send, you know, 20 or 30 staff to take a legislative trip to meet with legislators in Hawaii- - Oh.

- When they had offices, right?

We have offices at 555 Capitol Mall, two blocks from the State Capitol.

I mean, you could, you know, on a good day, a good baseball fly ball could hit the Capitol from the offices, yet they send a team, we sent a team, my predecessors, to Hawaii to meet with legislators.

Those kinds of decisions, Scott, which I would say would be, you know, at best, really poor decisions and not well-thought out, you know, too disgraceful.

- So we've had this negative state audit, Twin Rivers has started a process, which, as you've just relayed to us, is not, you know, going to conclude tomorrow, but has started this process.

Tell us what's at stake?

Who are the people that are served by Highlands and in Highlands' absence, what happens to them?

- Right.

So that's a great question, because there's a lot at stake, and this process has already put a lot at stake.

There's a lot of ripples going through the community.

Our students, first of all, the average age of our students are 40 years old.

Highlands serves adults 22 and older who do not have a high school diploma.

And so, our current students, average age over 40, 70% are parents, many of whom are parents of Twin Rivers Unified students.

The English language capabilities, about 90% are English language learners, virtually 100% of our students would be qualified for what's called free or reduced-price lunch in a regular school district, meaning, they live at or below the federal poverty guideline.

They are immigrants, they are refugees, they are hardworking adults who the traditional public school system failed for whatever reason, and there are also a number of citizens coming back from having been incarcerated.

Our students come from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia, other countries in Southeast Asia.

And they've come from war-torn, a lot of trauma, a lot of tough conditions, and in many cases, very loyal to the United States, they've settled here in Sacramento.

And, you know, these are who we are educating, they wanna get a high school diploma, they wanna learn English so they can integrate into the community, and they wanna make better lives for themselves and their families, and that's who they are.

- So give us the other side.

Let's get this out on the table.

Give us the stats in terms of, based on your enrollment... At your peak, how many people were enrolled at Highlands?

- Well, that's easy.

A year ago, we had over 13,000.

- Okay, 13,000, and today?

- As of last week, 1,440.

- 1400, so there's been a large attrition.

- Correct.

- Historically, what's been the success or graduation rate, whatever the metric is that's used to measure success?

- Yeah, so, you know, we've been in the single digits, which I've been very clear, you know, it is unacceptable.

- Which single digit, I gotta ask.

- Okay, so in the 6 to 8%, you know, category.

- 6 to 8%.

- When you consider our traditional high school trajectory, right, which is the standard that is being used, you know, like, if my students are being compared to McClatchy High School, that's the same standard by which we are being measured.

- So playing kind of devil's advocate here, Jonathan, at a 6 to 8% graduation rate, how do you respond to those who say, "You should just blow the whole thing up and shut it down"?

Well, what say you to that?

- Well, first of all, you know, our students are not like a traditional McClatchy High School student.

First of all, they have lots of responsibilities, that they are parents, they're guardians, they're caregivers for others in their family, they work one to two different jobs.

So they're not able to come or always, you know, finish a high school in say, four years, which is really what the measure is.

We have a new board member who's coming on next week, one of our alums, it took her six years, and many starts and many stops.

And that's just, you know, who our adult students are, they're very different, they've had different experiences.

Now they're committed, but things also happen in their lives where, you know, they have to stop or somebody gets sick, they don't have health insurance.

So what I say is, you know, starts aren't finishes.

And it's all about working with those students to get them the skills that they need.

For some, it's simply English language, and then they want a technical skill, and they wanna go work, or they have to work for a while, and then they come back.

We have to meet our students where they are.

And that's what I think is really different from, you know, what the state of California needs to realize.

If we're serious about educating this population, and we should and we better be, because more and more are coming to California, then we need to have a slightly different framework in which to educate them.

- When I first started investigating this issue and trying to learn about Highlands, the thing that shocked me most, Jonathan, was the population that you described that you serve is a population, to be quite frank, I had never considered or heard about.

They're not part of the normal conversation that we have when we're thinking about public education, particularly high school graduation rates.

Why hasn't this region paid more attention to this population, and what sounds like the extreme challenges that they face in trying to get from where they start and actually graduating successfully with a diploma?

- Well, first of all, Scott, you know, it's who represents them?

Now they have very active and strong community organizations that support them, and these groups are still supporting Highlands.

But, you know, they're also not ones to bring a lot of attention to themselves simply by, you know, the nature of who they are and where they come from.

They wanna, and have wanted, to become part of their new community.

And for many of them in their own culture, they don't wanna be on public assistance, they don't want public support, they wanna be able to build their new lives and to be self-sufficient.

And they're not one to raise their hands and to complain, they wanna work hard, they wanna support their families and their community, and they wanna become part of their new country and of their new home here.

So I think it's often those that we work with.

And I don't think that my predecessors did a good job in really advocating on their behalf, and really building the necessary partnerships to be able to fully tell the Highlands story.

And so, you asked "What's at stake?"

There isn't anyone else that is doing this work around here, Scott.

Many of the providers and community organizations have lost their funding.

The federal environment with the policy of the current administration is very hostile towards immigrant and refugee groups.

And it's not the time to be grabbing a lot of attention.

And colleges and universities, like American River and Sac City, even my former school district, they're serving less adults, and if they are, those programs are not free.

And our community, I mean, they don't even have the resources sometimes for food, or for clothes, or even transportation, these are real barriers.

So if Highlands isn't here, the thousands of students that we have served and that we could be serving will not be served.

- So what's the equation, Jonathan, on the way forward?

What are the components of a solution to put Highlands back to right, where it is that you are able to meet your mission, and you are able to serve this very challenged and difficult in terms of the obstacles they face?

- [Jonathan] Right.

- These people, give us kind of just the roadmap forward?

- Right, right.

So the most immediate game plan we've been operating under now, Scott, are three things, three pillars; restore integrity and trust.

And that's me using my reputation, the work that I've done previously, and the relationships that I have to convince people that we just need some time for the reforms that we're undertaking to take hold.

Raising the standards across the board, because our students deserve it.

They deserve the best curriculum that's possible for them, they deserve to have the best teachers in their classroom, highly trained, they deserve new programs that are gonna meet their needs where they are, high standards of academic excellence and outcomes, and then they need decisions that are made in their best interests.

So rather than as my predecessors did, eliminate and wipe out all student support services from clothing closets to childhood education, to even, you know, providing food resources, or transportation, we're restoring all of these and asking our students, "What do you need to be successful?

If transportation is a barrier, how do we create partnerships with our community partners in order to take down these barriers?"

Those are the first things, Scott.

The second part, you mentioned it: governance.

You know, we've had conversations, we're bringing in new board members to fill our board seats, we are bringing in a professional, accomplished staff and team of educators, collectively, our first four hires, over 70 years of public education successful experience, you know, doctorates, folks who have really been successful.

So that's the formula.

And it's also about partnership, Scott.

You know, Highlands had a way of doing things on their own, and as many of my charter colleagues have said, you know, we didn't play well in the sandbox together.

And, you know, when times get tough, you see who your friends are, so, you know, it's been a challenge.

So I'm working hard to build new partnerships with members of our community, Goodwill Industries, the Salvation Army, the Sheriff's Department to do work with the reentry community.

All of these new partnerships are important in order for us to successfully serve Sacramento.

- What's the state of your relationship right now with Twin Rivers and the County Office of Education?

Because those are two big players that will impact whether or not your program is successful or not.

- Right, right.

So I've had a good relationship with Superintendent Martinez, we knew each other, when I was leaving Sacramento, he was coming in, you know, so we've had a lot of meetings.

I mean, you know, they're under a lot of pressure as well.

The state auditors, you know, called them out.

So, you know, we're working with them, we're trying to make the decisions, you know, easy for them to find a way for us, you know, to off-ramp on the notice of violations.

So we'll continue to work hard with them.

And I've had a- - Are you getting an audience with them?

- Well, you know, we keep asking, yes, yes, we are, we are, you know, to be fair.

It may not be as frequently as I want it, but, you know, but I'm pushy.

(chuckles) But we continue to work with them, and I'm confident that we can find a way to resolve the issues with them.

I've always had a good relationship with Dave Gordon.

From the day I arrived, Dave met me at the airport when I was coming to Sacramento, picked me up and brought me to dinner at his house.

Many of his current employees were former employees of Sac City, and, you know, he's had a tremendous career.

And so, we have good relationships there, and, you know, we'll continue to build new ones as I meet with staff and I meet with their trustees.

So I'm confident in the end, Scott, that Sacramento is gonna do the right thing and gonna support Highlands.

I don't ask for charity, I never have, and I never will, but I just need a little bit of time.

Liken it to a runway; I don't need the runway of Denver International Airport, you know, but I may need a little bit longer of a carrier runway than Doolittle had.

(chuckles) So, you know, but with time, there's no question, the reforms that we are putting into place are gonna be successful.

- Well, part of the reason I ask the question in terms of the relationships is because you've had to, in your four months, make some tough decisions, whether one agrees with them or not, and including one where it's my understanding that you moved Highlands out of a building, where Twin Rivers was your landlord, and you had reasons of sort of life safety issues- - Correct.

- Related to that, and that it wasn't necessarily received well.

Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

- Sure, sure, sure.

So our main headquarters, our sort of Flagstaff campus on Grand Avenue, the old Grant High School site, right opposite Grant High School.

You know, it's a very, very old facility, and in my view, very tired.

When we opened school, we opened a week late, because we implemented a new curriculum.

Some of our teachers immediately started noticing some odd smells.

So we investigated, and over that weekend, we brought in a company and their technician, the company headquartered, licensed in California, the technician certified, and we did some initial testing for mold, both air testing and surface testing.

And we had positive laboratory confirmed findings of mold.

So in an effort to put the safety of our students and our staff first, we immediately relocated that team, the whole team from that facility, to other campuses where we have education programs, and we notified Twin Rivers and the superintendent what was happening and what we were doing in further testing.

We subsequently provided all the results of those tests to Twin Rivers, who subsequently had their own testing done, and, you know, they don't agree with our findings.

And so, you know, that remains an issue.

- So where does that leave the students then?

I guess, in your other buildings, but is there mold or not?

- Well, according to our tests, yes, yes, there's mold.

And what I would say is, it doesn't surprise me, because in the last several years alone, we had over 30 tickets submitted to Twin Rivers to address issues of moisture, many of those went unresolved.

So I'm not surprised.

And I think anyone going onto that campus and looking at that campus, you know, wouldn't be surprised as well.

So, you know, again, we may be in a disagreement about that, but the health and safety of my students and my staff always comes first.

So we're not on that campus, we'll continue to talk to Twin Rivers about what does remediation look like, and, you know, and we're prepared, if need be, to not go back.

- So let's start to talk about the future.

If the charter is ultimately revoked, what happens to the students and the staff?

- Right.

So, you know, there's a long process, Scott, that involves Twin Rivers, the County Office of Education, and ultimately the state board.

And that process would unfold over several months, you know, which would get us to the end of the school year.

So, as I've told our team and our community and our students, you know, stay focused, let us do the hard work, you're gonna be in school through this school year.

At the same time, our charter is up for renewal in 2027.

It's also been part of my argument to Twin Rivers and others is, "Look, give us time.

You know, we don't have a long window."

And if my reforms and the impact we're making doesn't pan out, I'll be the first to recommend that we don't get renewed.

But that's a process.

So the renewal process for us would start this spring anyways, so we're actively already starting to develop a charter petition, you know, or a renewal, you know, with Twin Rivers, and we'll continue to do that.

And as I've said to our folks, and I say to you and your viewers, look, you know, I came here to fight, I came here to fight for this community, and our students and our team, and those who know me, you know, know I'm not a quitter.

So we're gonna use everything we have to ensure that we're successful.

- So within the region, there are a lot of stakeholders, the students, family members, the community that they reside within, elected officials, business leaders, and the like.

Have you had all of those people in a room, and were able to have a conversation with them?

What is it that you would want them to know, and what would you ask of them in this fight that you're leading right now to save Highlands?

- Yeah.

So a subset of everyone you just mentioned, Scott, was in the Twin Rivers Boardroom on November 4th, and they told their stories, they shared examples of what Highlands has meant to them.

And what I would tell them is, I would say, "Believe, and don't give up, and continue to voice what the school has done for you and how much it means for you and your community.

And that collectively, with the strength and power, when we all link arms, you know, we're not gonna be defeated."

- Okay, and I think we'll leave it there.

Jonathan Raymond, thank you for coming on and telling your story, and so, stay tuned.

- Stay tuned.

Yeah, the story is not over.

Students are in school today, we've got teachers teaching, professional learning going on, we're creating new programs and restoring student services.

So, you know, this is a time to just keep looking forward, as I tell our folks, and, you know, fight with all we got.

- All right.

And that's our show.

Thanks to our guest and thanks to you for watching "Studio Sacramento."

I'm Scott Syphax, see you next time right here on KVIE.

(bright orchestral music) - [Announcer] All episodes of "Studio Sacramento," along with other KVIE programs are available to watch online at kvie.org/video.