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 projections that rely on rapid increases in average daily attendance (ADA) that KCSOS described as unlikely to materialize.

“Negative ending fund balance means the charter will not have sufficient resources to meet its obligations in the year,” Jonathan Medina said, describing the county’s use of FICMAT indicators to assess fiscal risk.

CAT leaders did not dispute that the school faces financial strain; they said they had been working to secure private bridge financing that would cover the current year and allow time to realize a larger recruitment plan. Joanna Kendrick, CAT’s CEO and principal, said the charter’s finance committee had submitted a fiscal‑stability plan and that loan underwriting was in progress.

“We are willing and able to come to the table with Jonathan Medina and discuss these discrepancies,” Kendrick said. She added that executing the private loan depended on lenders’ underwriting and that a public motion that suggested revocation could jeopardize financing that leaders said would stabilize the school.

The board heard more than two dozen public comments, many from parents, students and employees who described academic and social gains at CAT, special‑education and inclusion supports, and strong demand for enrollment. “Our son found peers who celebrate who he is,” parent Natasha Mitchell said. Students and grandparents described improved grades, regained confidence and a belief that CAT’s smaller classes and arts‑technology emphasis were critical to those improvements.

Board members pressed both sides on two responsibilities: to protect students and families who would be disrupted if a school closed mid‑year, and to exercise oversight that protects taxpayers and prevents the county from inheriting a charter’s unpaid liabilities. Dr. Minboro of KCSOS reminded trustees that a notice of violation is a statutory step that gives the charter 15 days to submit a remedy; if the remedy is insufficient the board could continue to a revocation hearing in June under Education Code procedures.

A motion to issue a formal notice of violation was moved as part of the board’s discussion and at first failed for lack of a second. The transcript records extended debate, requests for additional documentation and multiple proposals — including a request that KCSOS and CAT hold a focused meeting during the 15‑day remedy window — but does not include a final recorded revocation vote in the public transcript.

If the board approves a notice of violation, KCSOS staff said, the charter would have 15 days to present a remedy; the board would evaluate the response at its May meeting and, if unresolved, could set a public revocation hearing in June. KCSOS emphasized that the notice is a remedyable administrative step meant to protect students and county taxpayers while the charter either cures its issues or the board pursues other remedies.

The board paused for a recess after extended public comment and discussion; the transcript ends before a final, conclusive vote on revocation was recorded.