The Wild West of Education: Follow the Money | Ep. 3 of an ABC10 Originals investigation

Leadership at Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools isn’t shy about using public school funds. In two years, ABC10 found the charter school spent over $3 million on travel to places like San Diego, Nashville, New Orleans, Las Vegas, New York and France.
Our year-long investigation found expensive trips aren’t the only way Highlands spends their funding. The school has spent millions on lobbying efforts, legislative groups, nonprofit organizations and a sports show. They hired well-known community figures with no background in education, spent millions of dollars on cell phones and tablets, organized big social events, costly raffles, participated in expensive golf tournaments and more.
The charter school's leadership team also receives six-figure salaries, yet few have educational experience or credentials.
Highlands’ insiders question the school’s fiscal policies asking why so much is being spent with so few students graduating? In part three of “The Wild West of Education,” ABC10 follows the money to find hundreds of millions being spent with minimal oversight.
This is an ABC10 Originals four-part investigation.
You can watch all four episodes here, www.abc10.com/article/news/lo...
You can read the full story for episode three here, www.abc10.com/article/news/lo...
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[@kimwhatmatters4085]

Teachers and staff should get great pay everyone else does. It creates a productive happy work environment. They’re getting the same funding per student but it’s not going to the board and sporting teams.

[@thelegend8611]

The investigation was initiated primarily due to the discontinuation of assistance to homeless individuals. However, upon examination, it appears that none of the questions posed have been definitively answered. References to phone usage and bonuses seem to be additional aspects included in the documentary to add interest, given the unique nature of the school in comparison to others.

[@kimwhatmatters4085]

The only problem is see is the homeless finding is lacking and shady

[@kimwhatmatters4085]

We should structure regular public schools like this they get the same funding and kids don’t get anything close to this. Why do non Americans get better grade school experiences

[@miriamcollins7587]

Wow that district treats its teachers and students pretty well…. I wonder why their employees are disgruntled and willing to complain to the news??? They’re even giving teachers bonuses??? 😂😂 and janitors??? Somebody’s hatin!!!! I feel like this is a government school hit job hating on Highlands. They get the same money per student as public schools…but it seems like they’re doing much more with it???? Where’s the problem here, and WHY can’t the rest of our public schools run their districts like this? I’ll tell you why….the federal government puts too much red tape on public schools.
LOL no schools give students books anymore!!! Everything is digital, even in college now. Wakey wakey America.
I live in one of the smallest districts in my state, our superintendent makes $360k+ per year and has no superintendent certification. The prior one only had a masters degree and was extremely corrupt (he was asked to resign when they found massive amounts of missing money and payments of tens of thousands of dollars PER MONTH going to questionable places).
This feels like a hit piece on one singled out school, doing a lot better than a lot of other districts in America. Notice they haven’t focused on test scores? lol which means the students are probably doing well.

[@atbta]

Are you just ignoring the mention of a 20% graduation rate?

[@californialover69]

@@atbta I have been a student of this school for almost a year now. And the main reason for the low graduation rating is that 99% of the students are immigrants. While women sitting on their husbands can study until they get HSD indefinitely, many guys go to work after a few months and disappear. I think if you look at the gender composition of the graduates, most of them will be women.

[@patriciapeinado5890]

Look it He uses incorrect English.