By Peter Day
Senior Writer
LUCERNE VALLEY — Parents, teachers and administrators from a beleaguered charter school program made emotional pleas to the Lucerne Valley Unified School District's governing board Thursday to take the charter under the district's wing.
"It starts with our teachers and the passion they have for the kids," said Kyle Hannah, superintendent of the Yucca Valley-based Hope Academy Charter Program.
According to the recently hired Hannah, Hope Academy Charter has nine locations serving a total of 27 school districts in three counties. Currently, 1,985 students, some of whom have been classified as "at risk," are enrolled with most, 418, at the independent study program's original site of Yucca Valley. There are 165 Hope Academy students in Victorville and 294 in Big Bear, he said.
Hope Academy Charter opened its Victorville campus off of Silica Drive and Hesperia Road last October.
One-by-one teachers affirmed Hannah's statement as an overflow crowd packed the small modular building that serves as the LVUSD's board meeting room. One school principal talked passionately about a student who previously was on probation for committing a crime.
"This kid was shut out," she said "He was abused since he was 7. He told me, 'Up until now everybody told me I was stupid.'"
Today, according to the educator, the student is receiving A's and B's and is expected to graduate from high school.
A mother of four, who brought along her energetic, precocious young daughter who sat on the floor doodling on a piece of paper with a friend during the hour-and-a-half long presentation, said Hope Academy is a veritable savior to her family. Her son, who she described as having challenges in a traditional school environment, is currently thriving in the charter school.
Despite the glowing reports, Hope Academy has had its share of problems.
Earlier this month, an independent $25,000 audit paid for by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools determined "that fraud, misappropriation of assets and other illegal activities may have occurred" under a previous Hope Academy administration. The May 2 report by the Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team of California School Information Services cited irregularities regarding conflict of interest, related-party transactions, irregular purchases, misleading reporting of expenses and questionable bonuses and stipends paid to the program's founder, spouse and other employees.
Hope Academy Charter School began the year about $4 million in debt, according to Tom Nichols, a school business specialist for the Temecula-based Charter School Management Corp. But the program could see a financial turnaround and Nichols projects it could soon be $2.6 million in the black.
"Good things are happening in terms of projected enrollment," Nichols said.
In March, Hannah, who previously was a public school principal in Yucca Valley, made a similar pitch to the Morongo Unified School District's board of education. Weeks afterward, however, the board voted to not renew its contract with Hope Academy. The charter school must find a new school district sponsor before June 30, when the current contract with Morongo expires. The LVUSD could be a perfect match, he said.
"I feel this could be a great partnership for Hope Academy and for Lucerne Valley," Hannah said. "The past is the past, and we're focusing on the future."
According to Jim Harvey, president of the LVUSD board, Thursday's public hearing met the state law requirement to hold a public meeting within 30 days of receiving the petition. The district is expected to render a decision within the next 30 days, after studying the Hope Academy Charter petition. A decision is likely to come at one of its several scheduled meetings in June, Harvey said.
The LVUSD currently sponsors the Sky Mountain Charter School, which is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.