Each member of the board of directors overseeing Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools in Sacramento either resigned or was removed weeks after the release of a report by the California State Auditor that found the school improperly received over $180 million in education funding.
In addition, the report, published June 24, says the adult charter school engaged in “questionable financial transactions” and conflicts of interest, including unlawful gifts, luxury travel and the hiring of unqualified individuals. The school avoided accountability for student progress and did not conduct standardized testing of students.
The Sacramento charter school board resigned after a state audit showed the school misused $180 million in taxpayer funding. They gave six-figure jobs to relatives, had fake students, and misrepresented attendance. They gave lucrative contracts out to their “star,” one Mr. King (see below).
And it’s a school for adults that received K-12 funding they weren’t eligible to receive.
The most remarkable thing is they got away with this since 2018 when they first went under scrutiny.
The audit report says multiple agencies are to blame for the lack of action since the 2018 report, including the charter’s authorizer, Twin Rivers Unified, the Sacramento County Office of Education and the California Department of Education.
“Twin Rivers conducted only minimal annual oversight of Highlands, and instead relied heavily on annual audits that we found had inaccuracies,” said California State Auditor Grant Parks in the report. “If Twin Rivers had conducted more thorough oversight, it could have identified some of the violations we identified as part of our audit and taken action to address them earlier.”
The Sacramento-based Highlands Community Charter School boasted star power across its hundreds of employees: an influential Black community leader, a retired police chief and a former Sacramento Kings player. (Read more: Independent Sentinel, 7/30/2025) (Archive)