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CDE letter prompts questions about charter oversight; district says required documents submitted
Summary
A Dec. 11 board meeting included a CDE letter read into the record citing governance, Brown Act compliance, funding use, ADA/enrollment reporting, and credentialing concerns tied to Learn for Life/Elevate-affiliated charter schools; district staff said required documents were emailed to CDE on Dec. 8 and defended their oversight of Mission Academy.
At the Dec. 11 meeting the board read into the public record a November letter from the California Department of Education raising concerns about charter schools affiliated with the Learn for Life and Elevate networks and requesting documentation from authorizing districts. The letter, authored by Rick Reyes, director of the CDE Charter Schools Division, listed areas of concern including governance transparency and potential conflicts of interest; Brown Act and open-meeting compliance; appropriate use of public funds; accuracy of ADA/enrollment reporting; teacher credentialing and high rates of out-of-field assignments; and potential grade-level-authorizer mismatches.
Ken Falsgraf read the letter into the record and noted that the CDE requested specific documents be emailed by Dec. 15 to charters@cde.ca.gov. "Please email the above identified documents by 12/15/2025 to charters@cde.ca.gov," the read text said. Michelle Patterson, the district's director of charter services, told trustees the district had sent the requested documents to the CDE on Dec. 8 and that Mission Academy provided additional materials for review. Patterson said district oversight had not found the high out-of-field teacher assignment rate cited in the CDE's letter for Mission Academy and emphasized the district's continuing monitoring and request for full corporate disclosures within charter petitions.
Representatives from Mission Academy and associated entities answered trustee questions about governance and back-office vendors. Lindsay Reese, introduced herself as area superintendent for the school and explained that Alta Vista Public Inc. functions as the nonprofit sole member with a separate governing board; Mission Academy operates under that nonprofit and the corporation handles employment and reporting. Trustees pressed for clarity around back-office vendor arrangements (LLAC), the vendor fee structure (reported by a charter representative as 15% of revenue for services), and whether employees moved between entities. Trustees requested confirmation or follow-up from the CDE before taking further procedural steps on any charter petition.
The transcript shows trustees expressing long-standing concerns about charter oversight history and litigation affecting neighboring districts; one trustee asked that any future board action on charter petitions include a state response addressing the CDE concerns. Rick Reyes did not speak live; his contact and note were made part of the record and the CDE indicated it may request additional documents or technical assistance.
