Kern County officials issue notice-of‑violation procedure for downtown charter school amid parents’ pleas

The Kern County Superintendent of Schools presented the county board with detailed financial evidence on April 8 recommending that a formal notice of violation be issued to Central Academy of Arts and Technology, a downtown Bakersfield charter school, citing what staff described as inadequate budgeting, contradictory interim reports and a growing deficit that risks the school’s ability to make payroll.

Kern County Assistant Superintendent for Fiscal Support Jonathan Medina told trustees the charter’s second interim report showed a projected operating deficit that had ballooned from roughly $125,000 at first interim to nearly $700,000 at second interim, producing a negative projected ending fund balance for 2024–25 unless the school secured new funds or substantially revised its budget. Medina said the county office also found material discrepancies between figures the charter reported to the county and what appeared in the school’s general ledger and cash‑flow schedules, and flagged multi‑year…