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Board deadlocks on KIPP Stockton high school petition after hours of testimony; action deferred
Summary
After staff recommended denial and KIPP representatives defended the petition, the board voted 3-3 with one recusal on a resolution to deny KIPP's petition to establish KIPP Stockton High School, resulting in inaction and leaving the matter open for possible county appeal within 30 days.
The Stockton Unified School District Board of Trustees failed to adopt a resolution denying KIPP Stockton's petition to establish a separate high school, producing inaction after a 3-3 roll-call vote with one trustee recused.
District staff, represented by Ty Pafford, recommended denial of the petition and presented a staff report finding the petition "does not meet the minimum requirements to be eligible for approval for a 5-year term." Staff cited three central concerns: (1) the proposed high school program is not substantively distinct from KIPP's recently renewed KIPP Stockton K–12 charter; (2) the petition proposed facilities and a location (University Park) that the district said were not approved in recent renewal actions; and (3) staff concluded the proposed site and program would duplicate district programs and could have an adverse fiscal and programmatic impact on district students and partnerships.
KIPP representatives disputed those findings. Michelle Marquez, principal of KIPP Stockton's high school program, said KIPP would invest roughly $30 million to build a high school facility and defended its commitment to serving South Stockton families. "We are prepared to invest an additional $30,000,000 to build the high school facility, investment the South Stockton community deserves," Marquez said. KIPP urged the board to approve the petition and to reject Resolution No. 25-40, which recommended denial.
Thirteen members of the public spoke during the hearing. Many were KIPP parents, students and staff who described positive student outcomes and asked the board to approve continuity for KIPP families. Others, including a few commenters and at least one trustee during Q&A, emphasized concerns raised in the staff report about enrollment projections, duplication of services, classification of students with disabilities and the procedural path KIPP took to seek approvals.
Trustees moved to adopt Resolution No. 25-40 (deny the petition). The roll-call vote recorded three yes votes (President Sofia Colon, Vice President Shauna Priest, Clerk Patrick Martin), three no votes (Trustee Denner, Trustee Stevens, Trustee Silva) and one recusal (Trustee Perez), resulting in no board action on approval or denial. Legal counsel explained that, absent final district action, KIPP has 30 days to appeal to the county board of education, which would review the petition de novo and could approve it and assume oversight.
The inaction leaves the petition unresolved and triggers statutory timelines and strategic choices for both the district and KIPP, including whether the petition will be appealed to the county. Counsel said the board has up to 90 days to act, and inaction tonight effectively left the matter open for follow-up.
Next steps: The district will confer with leadership to determine whether to bring the matter back within the statutory window; KIPP may choose to appeal to the county board of education.
