New Hope Charter School leaders updated the Robla School Board on academic and operational progress and asked the board to consider extending a district loan that financed temporary classrooms while the charter pursues a permanent facility.

Annual update and performance highlights

"We continue...we've stabilized it about 170 students for grades 7 through 8," said a New Hope representative during the annual update. The school reported improvements in climate indicators: chronic absenteeism and suspension rates had declined, and staff and county coaching were supporting continued progress. New Hope also reported independent fiscal systems, direct reporting of CALPADS and special-education data to the California Department of Education, acceptance into a county charter SELPA funding formula, and a clean independent financial audit.

Students and staff highlighted school culture. Director Anton Khan and other staff introduced several eighth-grade scholars who described positive experiences at the small school and upcoming eighth-grade promotion set for June 11 at the North Natomas Community Center.

Loan repayment request and facilities timeline

Administrators asked the board to extend repayment terms on a loan originally approved by the board in a special meeting on Aug. 5, 2021. "The board approved a loan of 2,042,227 toward the construction of the temporary classrooms at the Glenwood Elementary site," the presenter said. Construction delays related to COVID-era supply-chain issues postponed occupancy and constricted the schedule for repayment. Presenters said New Hope had repaid roughly $700,000 toward the loan over the last two years but that limited classroom capacity at the temporary site—"We only have 9 classrooms"—and a substantial share of students with IEPs (about 22–25%) had slowed repayment capacity.

New Hope proposed aligning the loan term with the charter petition extension: the charter petition was authorized for a five-year term beginning July 2020 and was extended by state legislative actions (AB 130 and SB 114) so that petitions expiring in 2025 carry through 2028, the presenters said. New Hope asked to align the loan repayment term with the new charter expiration date (2028) plus an additional two years to provide financial breathing room while a permanent facility is pursued.

Financial detail and fiscal note

CFO Mr. Castillo described the change as a cash-flow matter and noted the trade-offs of a longer repayment: "It will take longer to obtain the cash. It's a cash flow issue...the present value of the loan [will be] more expensive over a longer period of time," and he said the loan currently carries a 1 percent rate. The board discussion clarified that the requested action was for loan term alignment only; the underlying facility and portable ownership would transfer to the district at lease termination.

Board action

The loan-extension request was presented as an information item at the meeting for discussion; the transcript shows questions from trustees and staff but no final board vote adopting the extension during the session. The presenters indicated the permanent facility timeline remains multi-year and the temporary classrooms will revert to Robla School District ownership when the lease ends.

Ending note

New Hope leaders framed the extension request as part of a long-range plan to stabilize facilities and finish a permanent site while continuing academic and special-education services. The board heard the presentation and asked clarifying questions; no final loan-extension approval was recorded at the meeting.