SAC CHARTERGATE
ST. HOPE'S SAC CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA THAT PUTS SOAP OPERAS TO SHAME
Yes, Sacramento. Known for its rivers, trees, and a Capitol building that’s seen more drama than a Shakespeare festival. But who needs political intrigue when you’ve got Sacramento Charter High School and its parent organization, St. HOPE Public Schools, delivering plot twists that would make even the writers of *Game of Thrones* jealous? Welcome to SAC CHARTERGATE, where education reform meets reality TV, and the stakes are higher than your average SAT score.
Act I: The Fall and Rise (and Fall?) of Sac High
Once upon a time, Sacramento High School was a beacon of education in the Oak Park community. But as the years went on, it became a cautionary tale of underperformance, leadership turnover, and unmet state improvement goals. Enter Kevin Johnson—former NBA star, former Sacramento mayor, and self-proclaimed education reformer. With his nonprofit St. HOPE Public Schools, Johnson promised to turn Sac High into a charter school utopia. Smaller classes! Academic excellence! Arts programs galore! What could go wrong?
Spoiler: Everything.
The community was divided. Some saw Johnson as the knight in shining armor Sac High desperately needed. Others thought handing over a public school to a nonprofit was like trusting a fox to guard the henhouse. Despite protests, petitions, and enough public meetings to fill a Netflix mini-series, the school board voted 4-3 to close Sac High and let St. HOPE take over. Cue the dramatic music.
Act II: St. HOPE’s Rocky Start
With St. HOPE at the helm, expectations were high. Unfortunately, so were the allegations of mismanagement. Critics accused the organization of financial shenanigans, including misusing AmeriCorps funds for personal errands (because nothing says “educational reform” like having federal workers wash your car). And let’s not forget the allegations of sexual misconduct against Kevin Johnson, which were about as welcome as a pop quiz on a Monday morning.
Meanwhile, teachers at Sacramento Charter High School were dealing with their own set of challenges: high turnover rates, unstable contracts, and a lack of transparency that made Area 51 look like an open book. Frustrated and fed up, they decided to unionize—a bold move in the charter school world, where unions are about as popular as pineapple on pizza.
Act III: The Audit Heard ’Round Sacramento
Fast forward to 2024, and things at St. HOPE hadn’t exactly improved. A third-party audit commissioned by the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) revealed a laundry list of issues: financial mismanagement, conflicts of interest, and teacher credentialing problems. The audit even questioned the dual roles held by Cassandra Jennings, who serves as both CEO of St. HOPE Academy and chair of its board—a conflict of interest that’s about as subtle as a neon sign.
The district demanded a corrective action plan to address these issues by August 2024, warning that failure to comply could result in charter non-renewal. In response, St. HOPE promised reforms, including better staff training and stricter accountability measures. But let’s be real—this isn’t their first rodeo with promises of improvement.
Act IV: Scandals and Setbacks
Just when you thought things couldn’t get messier, enter Kimbbie Drayton, a football coach at Sacramento Charter High School accused of hosting parties where students allegedly partook in drugs and alcohol. The allegations—first reported by *The Sacramento Bee*—sent shockwaves through the community and prompted SCUSD to delay approving St. HOPE’s memorandum of understanding (MOU). Board members criticized the district for trying to sweep the issue under the rug by placing it on the consent agenda instead of scheduling a full discussion.
Meanwhile, parents and teachers raised concerns about how St. HOPE handled—or didn’t handle—misconduct investigations. One teacher claimed they faced retaliation for reporting the coach’s behavior, while others accused the organization of withholding documents from the district. At this point, it’s safe to say that transparency at St. HOPE is about as elusive as Bigfoot.
Act V: The Community Speaks Out
Despite all this drama, St. HOPE still enjoys significant support from many students and community members who credit its schools with strong academic performance—particularly among African American and socioeconomically disadvantaged students. At board meetings, passionate testimonials from parents and alumni painted a picture of a school that has made a real difference in their lives.
But not everyone is convinced. Critics argue that academic success shouldn’t come at the expense of accountability or ethical governance. As one SCUSD board member put it: “You can’t build a house on a shaky foundation—even if it has great curb appeal.”
Act VI: The Bigger Picture
The saga of SAC CHARTERGATE isn’t just a local issue; it’s part of a broader debate about charter schools in America. Proponents argue that charters offer innovative solutions to failing public schools. Opponents counter that they often lack oversight, leading to financial mismanagement and other scandals—like the $400 million fraud case involving California’s A3 charter school network.
The task force led by California State Controller Malia Cohen recently proposed 20 recommendations to improve oversight across all public schools, including charters. These include better auditor training, mandatory reporting of delayed audits, and stricter financial controls—common-sense measures that make you wonder why they weren’t already in place.
Epilogue: Lessons Learned?
So, what have we learned from SAC CHARTERGATE? For starters, turning a struggling public school into a charter isn’t a magic bullet—it’s more like slapping duct tape on a leaky boat and hoping it stays afloat. Leadership matters. Transparency matters. And above all, accountability matters.
As for St. HOPE? They’ve got until September 2024 to prove they’ve turned over a new leaf—or risk losing their charter altogether. Whether they succeed remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: Sacramento will be watching closely.
In the meantime, SAC CHARTERGATE serves as a cautionary tale for anyone tempted to waltz into public education with big ideas and no plan for follow-through. Because at the end of the day, hope alone isn’t enough—you need integrity, transparency, and maybe a good PR team too.
And if all else fails? Well, there’s always reality TV.
Big Education Ape: SAC CHARTERGATE PART II: A History of Problems at St. HOPE Charter Schools in Sacramento https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/07/sac-chartergate-part-ii-history-of.html
Big Education Ape: Search results for ST HOPE https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/search?q=ST+HOPE
St. Hope charter schools audit raise concerns in Sacramento | abc10.com https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/sacramento-city-usd-audit-st-hope-charter-schools-raises-concerns/103-abd88166-77dc-43e9-a7a4-10071f56a5ad
California task force proposes new charter school oversight as St. HOPE faces scrutiny https://www.capradio.org/articles/2024/10/23/california-task-force-proposes-new-charter-school-oversight-as-st-hope-faces-scrutiny/
St. HOPE Public Schools' future in question amidst allegations - The Sacramento Observer https://sacobserver.com/2024/08/st-hope-public-schools-charter-renewal/