Mission Academy presents growth metrics and asks board to renew charter

Mission Academy presented its charter-renewal case to the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District board during a public hearing opened at 7:58 p.m. Nishay Patterson, the district’s director of charter services, introduced Lindsay Reese, Mission Academy’s area superintendent, who outlined the program model, enrollment and outcomes and said the school meets the district’s renewal criteria.

Reese said the fully virtual Mission Academy serves grades 6–12 and described it as a “flexible, equitable, and high-quality personalized virtual learning plan,” anchored by trauma-informed practices and live virtual instruction. She told the board the school has about 999 students, 57 credentialed teachers, 12 special-education case managers, one English-language-development specialist, three counselors, one social worker and seven tutors. Reese said the school maintains a reserve “of approximately 20%,” which she described as aligned with the organization's board policy and a protection against budget shortfalls.

Reese highlighted alternative metrics for the school, noting high CAASPP completion rates and growth on NWEA MAP assessments. She said, "98 percent of our students completed the CAASPP test" and described significant gains in conditional growth indices across multiple grade levels. Reese acknowledged a decline in some year-to-year CAASPP and EL progress indicator results for 2023–24 and attributed that to rapid enrollment growth and enrollment timing: "we might have had a large influx of students who enrolled right before testing," she said, adding the program will continue focusing on EL progress and other growth measures.

Board members pressed Mission Academy staff about governance, shared services and oversight. One board member asked whether the organization operates multiple schools with independent local boards or a single umbrella board; Reese replied that each school has its own board unless placed under the same corporation. The board also asked about special-education services and participation in SELPA; Mission Academy said it participates with the El Dorado SELPA and does not pay facility fees to the district.

During questioning the board raised concerns tied to historical cases involving some charter management organizations; Mission Academy representatives denied fraudulent practices and said due process findings during the current authorization period were zero. The board paused for follow-up requests and asked staff to submit individual answers to detailed questions before any final action.

The board closed the public hearing at 8:30 p.m. and did not take final action on renewal that night. The presentation and the detailed Q&A will be part of the district record as the board considers the charter petition.