Twin Rivers board issues notices of intent to revoke two charters after staff finds compliance failures

Twin Rivers Unified’s Board of Trustees voted on two separate agenda items to issue notices of intent to revoke the charters for California Innovation Career Academy (CECA) and Highlands Community Charter School (HCCS), after district staff said their review turned up multiple, unresolved violations.

District staff presented a timeline of oversight, evidence and responses for both schools and recommended continuing the revocation process rather than terminating charters immediately. The staff summary cited violations including grade levels and locations not aligned with each school’s petition, a delayed independent audit for 2023‑24, deficiencies in tracking instructional minutes and pacing guides, credential misassignments (later addressed in monitoring), an allegedly improper exclusive partnership arrangement and unresolved facility‑lease and fiscal management issues for sites tied to the schools.

"The recommendation based on that analysis is for the board of trustees to approve issuance of the notice of intent to revoke," said a district attorney and staff presenter during the presentation. Staff emphasized that issuing a notice of intent does not immediately close a charter but starts statutory deadlines: a public hearing within roughly 30 days and a subsequent final determination within the regulatory timeline.

Community members, current and former students, teachers, clergy and local leaders filled the public‑comment period. Jonathan Raymond, the newly introduced executive director at Highlands Community Charter, urged trustees not to move directly to closure: "Tonight is not the night to close Highlands," he told the board, asking the trustees to allow a material‑revision process and more time for the turnaround under new leadership.

Speakers for the school and numerous community partners described Highlands as an adult‑education and workforce development provider that serves refugees, immigrants and adult learners, and urged trustees to weigh the immediate impacts on students and community services. County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy and others emphasized Highlands’ partnership role with local workforce entities and rehabilitation programs.

Trustees asked staff detailed questions about remedial evidence, how appeals (including a separate JLAC review) intersect with the district’s notices of violation, and the timing of material revisions the schools had submitted. Staff said the schools had submitted written responses by Sept. 26 and that material revision packages would require detailed review; some remedies could be proposed in those revisions, but staff said the district found the responses insufficient to demonstrate full remedy at present.

After public comment and board discussion, trustees voted to issue the notice of intent to revoke CECA and, on a separate motion, to issue the notice of intent to revoke Highlands Community Charter. Each motion passed in roll‑call votes recorded in the public meeting. District staff said the next procedural step is a public hearing scheduled within the regulatory window, followed by a potential final board action in the new year if the process continues.

The board emphasized that the notice of intent is a legal oversight step that establishes timelines and opportunities for the charters to provide additional evidence or remediation plans. Staff and several public speakers called attention to where evidence remains outstanding — for example, executed lease agreements for some sites, completed independent audit reports and additional documentation showing compliance with instruction‑minute requirements.

The board’s action sets a finite oversight timetable and a public hearing where the charters, staff and community can present further documentation before any final revocation decision.