The Illusion of School Choice
ASB funds can never be used to loan money to any group or individual”
– GHCHS’ ASB Handbook
As quoted by the LAUSD Charter School Division
Although parents were never notified, the LAUSD’s Charter School Division (CSD) issued a Notice to Cure to Granada Hills Charter High School (GHCHS) on September 21, 2016. This notice that specified “Immediate Action Required” was issued as a direct result of my investigation that found that the charter’s administration was improperly using “funds of a student body organization” for their payroll obligations. These funds were raised by the student body, are owned by the students of the school and are required to be under the direct control of the Associated Student Body (ASB) council. The law specifically prohibits these funds from being used to pay for items, like payroll, that are supposed to be paid for by the school.
As part of the Notice to Cure, it was recommended that GHCHS establish new fiscal procedures “to ensure that future payroll obligations are met without borrowing from the ASB account.” While the deadline given for this action was October 5, 2016, the Governing Board violated its charter which states that it “will meet monthly” by skipping its September meeting. However, when the Governing Board finally convened on October 17, 2016, the minutes show that “new processes and procedures” were finally implemented without mentioning the Notice to Cure.
This was not the only Notice to Cure issued to GHCHS during the last year. On June 22, 2016, The CSD found that the school was violating California Ed Code section 47695(d)(10) that specifies that “an existing public school converting to a charter school shall adopt and maintain a policy giving admission preference to pupils who reside within the former attendance areas of the public school”. Instead, it was “unilaterally” assigning students to its iGranada virtual program and “excluding them from the main campus.” While parents who had filed complaints The Illusion of School Choice:
