Stockton Unified board approves KIPP Stockton’s request to add adjacent facility at 2710 Colorado Avenue

The Stockton Unified School District board on June 24 approved a material revision allowing KIPP Stockton to add a nearby facility at 2710 Colorado Avenue, after a public hearing that drew parents, students, KIPP leaders and union representatives.

District staff told the board that KIPP originally submitted three requested revisions but later withdrew two and now seeks only authorization to add the adjacent 2710 Colorado Avenue site. Ty Pafford, the district administrator for specialty programs and advanced learning, said the district’s staff report recommended approval of the Colorado Avenue site but flagged discrepancies in KIPP’s financial documents and noted that KIPP’s projected enrollment (about 546 students) is roughly half the figure cited in the charter’s original projections.

“Because the district has a policy and the Education Code requires a board approval before a charter school expands to addresses not listed in its approved charter, we are focused on ensuring compliance,” Pafford said.

KIPP representatives defended the request and said the organization withdrew the other items after further review. Laura Knight Wheatley, managing director of schools for KIPP Stockton, told trustees KIPP can house incoming ninth graders at its facilities for the coming year and pledged to work with district staff on financial clarifications. “We want to spend the next several months working with SUSD so they understand KIPP has a long track record of prudent financial planning,” Knight Wheatley said.

KIPP school leaders described program elements they said would support the expansion, including a specialized teaching program for students with significant cognitive disabilities and services for multilingual learners. CFO Corey Vastola said KIPP holds a ground lease covering both parcels and does not intend to purchase an additional parcel.

Public comment was strongly divided. Dozens of parents, students and KIPP staff urged approval, saying the changes would sustain student progress and continuity. “KIPP has been a blessing for our family,” parent Shirley Pumarica said. Student speakers described feeling supported and excited about an on‑site high school.

Union representatives, including Louise Barros of the California School Employees Association, urged caution, saying KIPP had not provided essential financial documents and calling the proposal more than a simple address change. “It’s not an address change — they’re purchasing property. It’s a separate parcel,” Barros said, urging trustees to hold KIPP accountable for fiscal transparency.

After trustees asked follow-up questions about timing, oversight and document timelines, a trustee moved and seconded the resolution (Res. No. 24‑92). On roll call, multiple trustees voted yes, one trustee voted no, and two trustees were absent; the board carried the resolution.

The board’s action authorizes KIPP Stockton to add 2710 Colorado Avenue to its approved charter sites. District staff said approval should be followed by KIPP providing a revised multi‑year budget, clear assumptions and documentation the district can review as part of its normal oversight process.

What happens next: District staff and KIPP will coordinate on the financial follow‑up items that staff requested in its report. The board’s approval applies only to the single site now before it; the district said it will not consider the two previously withdrawn changes at this time.