Board conditionally approves five‑year renewal for Excelsior Charter School with audit and governance conditions

The San Bernardino County Board of Education conditionally approved a five‑year renewal for Excelsior Charter School on March 11, citing agreement on most staff recommendations and a list of conditions the charter must meet to finalize the renewal.

"We would ask that Excelsior request the Excelsior Charter Group annual audit no later than 60 days following issuance of the school's audit," said board member making the motion during the action item debate. The motion — which passed after questions and negotiation — also requires Excelsior to adopt a comprehensive scholarship fund policy, strike permissive governance language staff flagged, clarify conflict‑of‑interest procedures and comply with Education Code rules for board meeting locations.

Angel Arrington, senior project manager in the county charter office, summarized staff work with the petitioner and said most items on the staff report were resolved in discussions. "They are in agreement with creating a scholarship fund policy, and they are willing to revise the governance element and conflict‑of‑interest clarifications," Arrington said.

Excelsior representative Dr. King said the school agreed to the changes and emphasized program continuity and student supports during the transition. "We have been able to keep the continuity and keep everything progressing in the right manner," he said during the hearing, and he added the school will provide documentation to the board to show compliance.

The motion sets a 45‑calendar‑day deadline for Excelsior to comply with the stated conditions related to governance and petition elements; the charter group’s foundation audit was set at 60 days. The board’s motion recorded that staff and petitioners had resolved 20 of 23 initial staff items and negotiated the remaining items during the hearing.

Board members pressed for added clarity about student outcomes and finances during a sustained Q&A: trustees asked for additional breakdowns of graduation‑grade reading proficiency and for assurance that scholarship disbursements would include guardrails to avoid unintended tax or gift‑of‑public‑funds problems. Excelsior said its foundation handles scholarship administration and that it would update policy language based on staff guidance.

What happens next: Excelsior must meet the listed conditions within the board‑set timelines. Staff will track the charter’s revisions and required filings; the board reserved the right to revisit compliance during the renewal term.