Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1537217
State Audit Confirms Massive Fraud at Twin Rivers Charter School Twin Rivers United Educators' alerts about charter fraud spark change to schools, district and state oversight A C A L I F O R N I A S T A T E audit report in June found Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools (HCCTS) in the Twin Rivers Unified School District received more than $180 million in public education funds it was not eligible for. e audit, requested in May 2024 by four state legislators, confirmed Twin Rivers United Educators (TRUE) members' repeated alerts to the school board about fraud and waste at HCCTS. TRUE actions led to a 10-part ABC10 investigation, "e Wild West of Education," that uncovered excessive spending, nepotism, a toxic work envi- ronment, and poor student outcomes. (e investigation won a 2024 CTA John Swett Award for Media Excellence.) According to officials, student out- comes at HCCTS were so low that they dragged down California's statewide graduation rate for the 2023–24 school year. Following release of the audit, Brittoni Ward, incoming TRUE president, spoke to the Twin Rivers school board, saying, "Our community deserves better. We deserve a superintendent who is trustworthy and leads by example in transparency. We deserve administrative staff who listen to educators when concerns are raised about bad practices. We deserve school board members who listen to the community and hold district admin account- able for their actions." Ward and TRUE called on the superintendent to "do the right thing for the students of Highlands." "Our educators demand accountability. Our students demand integrity. And our community demands transparency." In the wake of the ABC10 report last year, TRUE members mobilized to unseat a corrupt, longtime school board trustee. Linda Fowler, a Twin Rivers trustee who also served on the char- ter's board and had been instrumental in its founding in 2014, was being paid a hefty consulting fee by the charter — a direct conflict of interest. Even after departing the board, she continued as a school employee in work the state Fair Political Practices Commission called questionable. TRUE's endorsed candi- date ousted Fowler in March 2024 with 55% of the vote. e state audit found that in addition to receiving millions in inappropriate state funds after lax oversight by state and local educational agencies, some expenses by the schools violated state law and posed conflicts of interest. HCCTS also had major problems with teacher credentialing and attendance-keeping. The audit report states, " We determined that Highlands received more than $180 million in K–12 funds for which it was not eligi ble, it en gaged in wast eful sp endin g, and it assigned teachers to classes for which they did not hold "Our educators demand accountability. Our students demand integrity. And our community demands transparency." —TRUE President-elect Brittoni Ward From the ABC10 investigative report " The Wild West of Education." 28 cta.org Advocacy