SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Highlands Community Charter and Technical School will now be audited by the state.
ABC10 has investigated the school for over a year and spoke with dozens of employees who had major concerns including accusations of nepotism, a toxic work environment and how millions of public-school funds were being spent.
After the initial investigation, four California lawmakers requested the audit and it was approved Tuesday.
“The mission of Highlands Community Charter is laudable,” said Asm. Al Muratsuchi. “But we want to make sure that no institution is manipulating the system, to game the system, in order to collect taxpayer dollars without providing the educational services that they claim to be providing.”
"I think an audit is really important moving forward because, first of all, this one has subpoena power," said former Highlands employee Lindsay Curtis. "I think that's vital for an investigation, especially where folks are really pressured to stay quiet for multiple reasons, including job and money and insurance security, very real fears."
The Highlands Board of Directors sent ABC10 the following statement about the audit:
“Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools welcomes the legislature’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee audit request. We are committed to transparency and accountability. We fully cooperate with the boards and agencies tasked with overseeing the school and take their concerns seriously. After a recent internal review of our policies and procedures, we have made or are in the process of making the following changes:
- Approving new fiscal policies that ensure public transparency regarding all expenses.
- Approving a new travel policy consistent with norms and standards recommended by the Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team.
- Hiring a head of Human Resources to improve personnel practices and procedures.
“The mission of Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools is to provide our diverse community of adult students with access to education and technology that empowers them to improve their lives.”
You can watch ABC10’s investigation, The Wild West of Education, HERE.