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SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement regarding two arrests made in connection with an investigation into the California Charter Academy (CCA) by the San Bernardino County District Attorney.

"The news of arrests made today in connection with the California Charter Academy is a welcome chapter in a very sad story in California's public education system. The alleged abuse of public trust and misuse of millions of dollars in public education funds by the operators of CCA is appalling.

"I am very pleased that the investigation into CCA's operations has been pursued so diligently by San Bernardino District Attorney Michael Ramos. I applaud his work and the work of the grand jury to bring to justice individuals who allegedly misused funds intended for the education of children. Throughout this process, I have directed staff from the California Department of Education to provide any assistance necessary to law enforcement officials looking into this case.  I also want to thank San Bernardino County Superintendent Herb Fischer and Orange County Superintendent Bill Habermehl for joining me in initiating the original audit of CCA that detailed many of the abuses cited by the District Attorney Ramos today.

"The criminal cases are now in the hands of California's judicial system. In the meantime, the California Department of Education will continue to pursue recovery of $23 million misspent by CCA through bankruptcy court procedures.

"Charter schools are public schools that can provide innovative educational programs that lead to improved student achievement. But, charter schools must be held to the same high standard of accountability as all other public schools. Since the closure of all CCA schools, the California Department of Education has worked to improve accountability for charter schools by: strengthening annual audit provisions, giving County Offices of Education more authority to investigate charter school operations, working with the California Charter School Association on the development of and with the State Board of Education on the approval of appropriate conflict- of-interest rules for charter schools. Finally, we have implemented closure regulations for charter schools to ensure that proper close-out audits are conducted and that student records are maintained and appropriate placement for students takes place in the event a charter school does close."

Background

CCA operated four schools and more than 50 satellite sites before it closed in the summer of 2004. At that time, the audit indicated that 4,557 K-12 students were enrolled in CCA schools and more than 7,000 adults were also enrolled in CCA programs. The California Department of Education worked with county offices of education, affected school districts, and charter school organizations to provide appropriate educational placement for the students once CCA closed.

The audit was initiated at the request of Superintendent O'Connell in collaboration with San Bernardino County Office of Education Superintendent Herb Fischer and Orange County Office of Education Superintendent Bill Habermehl following a recommendation by the State Board of Education's Advisory Commission on Charter Schools. When the audit was completed in April 2005, O'Connell and the County Superintendents turned the audit findings over to law enforcement officials

For more information, please visit Closure of California Charter Academy (CCA) - Announcements & Current Issues.