‘Who’s watching?’ | Charter school spent millions in public funds without rigorous oversight [Video]

“We believe we have 14,000 students and 750 employees,” HCCTS Executive Director Bill McGuire told his staff in a November 2024 meeting.

Their all-adult student population is mostly comprised of immigrants and refugees needing to learn English and secure jobs – a vital lifeline for many.

The school has dozens of sites across California and hundreds of millions in public funds. Oversight of this large operation falls to its nine board members.

It’s a lot of responsibility, and yet, HCCTS’ board hasn’t always kept track of all their spending.

“Do we know how much money we’ve spent on this particular contract?” asked HCCTS Board Vice President Sharon Rocco in their June 6, 2024, board meeting.

When told it accumulated to over $4.8 million, Rocco replied: “So where has that gone?”

After several ABC10 investigative reports, California legislators – including the Education Assembly and Senate Chairs …