Highlands Community Charter: A Closer Look At Adult Education And Recent Events

For many grown-ups looking to get more schooling, finding the right place can feel like a big step. We often have jobs, families, and other things that take up our time, making it seem like going back to school is just too much to handle. Yet, a lot of us still dream of learning new things, getting a high school diploma, or even picking up skills for a better job. This is where places like Highlands Community Charter School have played a part, aiming to help adults fit education into their busy lives, so you know, it's almost like a helpful friend.

Highlands Community Charter, or more fully known as Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools, has been a name that comes up for folks in California seeking these kinds of chances. It's a non-profit group that runs schools, specifically made for adults who are 22 years old and older. The idea, really, is that it's never too late for someone to make a change in their life, and education can be a very good way to do that, that is that.

This school system has had its share of attention, both for the good work it aimed to do and, too, for some very serious questions raised about its money matters. It's a place that has touched many lives, giving people a path to learn English, finish their high school studies, or get ready for different careers. So, let's talk a bit more about what Highlands Community Charter has been all about, and what has happened with it, more or less.

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Table of Contents

• What is Highlands Community Charter?
  • Serving Adult Learners
  • A Mission to Change Lives
• Programs and Learning Paths
  • Language and Diploma Studies
  • Career Technical Education
• Getting Started with Your Education
  • Online and In-Person Options
  • Support for Students
• Governance and Operations
  • District Information and Leadership
  • Board Meetings and Transparency
• Serious Questions and Audits
  • The State Auditor's Findings
  • Impact on Students and the Community
• Looking Ahead and Learning from the Past
• Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Community Charter

What is Highlands Community Charter?

Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools, often just called Highlands, has been a non-profit group set up to run charter schools in California. These schools, very specifically, had a focus on helping adults get the education they needed. It was not like a regular high school for younger kids, but rather, a place made for older students who might have missed out on some schooling earlier in their lives, or who just wanted to pick up new abilities, you know.

Serving Adult Learners

The main group Highlands aimed to serve was adults, those 22 years old and older. The idea was that life can be busy, with work, family, and other things that take up time. So, the programs were set up to try and make it easier for these busy folks to go after more schooling. It was about giving a chance to people who might have thought it was too late for them to learn or get a diploma, so, in some respects, it was a very important resource.

A Mission to Change Lives

The folks at Highlands, as they put it, truly believed in the idea that it's never too late to make a real difference in someone's life. Their goal was to give adults a way to improve themselves through learning. This meant offering programs that could lead to a high school diploma, help with learning English, or get skills for a job. It was, arguably, a very noble aim to help people move forward, as a matter of fact.

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Programs and Learning Paths

The educational offerings at Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools covered a good range of subjects. They wanted to make sure that adults could find something that fit what they needed, whether it was starting from the very beginning with language or moving all the way to getting ready for a job. It was, basically, about giving different paths for different people, naturally.

Language and Diploma Studies

For many, the first step was learning English. Highlands offered what they called foundational English language development. This was very important for people who had just come to the country and needed to learn the language to get by. Then, for those who wanted to finish their schooling, they had programs that led to a high school diploma. This was a big deal for many adults who had left school early, providing them with a chance to get that important piece of paper, you know.

Career Technical Education

Beyond the basics, Highlands also offered what's known as career technical education. This kind of learning is about getting hands-on skills for specific jobs. It means learning things that can help you get ready for a certain type of work, like in trades or other fields that need practical abilities. These programs were meant to help students get ready for the workforce, giving them a practical way to improve their job chances, in a way.

Getting Started with Your Education

Highlands tried to make it fairly easy for people to start their learning journey. They understood that busy adults needed ways to get information and sign up that fit their schedules. So, they offered different ways to get going, which was pretty helpful, to be honest.

Online and In-Person Options

If you wanted to learn more about what Highlands offered, you could, apparently, access an online orientation page. This meant you could look at details at your own convenience, whenever you had a moment. But if you preferred to talk to someone face-to-face, you could also register in person. They had a main campus and other student centers where you could visit. This choice of online or in-person was meant to make things more accessible for everyone, you know, kind of.

Support for Students

The idea was also to provide support. The text mentions that if you needed help, there were ways to get it. This kind of support is very important for adult learners who might have been out of school for a long time or who are dealing with many things in their lives. Knowing that you can get help when you need it can make a big difference in sticking with your studies, and stuff.

To learn more about educational opportunities on our site, you can find helpful information that might guide your next steps. Also, you might want to check out this page for more details about adult learning programs that could be right for you, obviously.

Governance and Operations

Like any school system, Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools had a way it was run. It was a non-profit group, which means it wasn't set up to make money for owners, but rather to use its funds for its mission. Knowing how a school operates and who is in charge can be pretty important for people thinking about joining, basically.

District Information and Leadership

There was a district information page for Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools (HCCTS), which was meant to give a full picture of the district. This included key details about how things were set up. Catherine Thirkill was mentioned as the Director of Curriculum and Program Development, which suggests someone was in charge of what was being taught and how the programs were put together. This kind of leadership is very important for how a school works day-to-day, at the end of the day.

Board Meetings and Transparency

For a non-profit school, board meetings are a big part of how things are decided and how the public can see what's happening. The board meetings for HCCTS were typically scheduled for the first Thursday of each month. Sometimes, if there was a holiday or something else came up, the date might change. These meetings are where big decisions are made, and they are usually open to the public, which is a way of being open about how things are run, you know.

Serious Questions and Audits

While Highlands Community Charter aimed to do good things, it also faced some very serious questions about how it handled its money. These concerns led to a lot of attention and, ultimately, official reviews. This part of the story is, seriously, quite important to understand what happened with the school, as a matter of fact.

The State Auditor's Findings

A state audit, which is like a very thorough check of a group's money and records, found some major problems at Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools. The California State Auditor said that the school got more than $180 million in public money that it shouldn't have received. It also found that the school spent money in ways that were wasteful. This was a very critical review, and it caused a lot of concern, obviously.

The audit also pointed out that the school district that was supposed to be watching over Highlands was, in fact, making millions of dollars from Highlands. This raised questions about who was responsible and how things were being managed. ABC10, a news group, had been looking into the school for over a year and had talked with people about these issues before the state audit happened. This kind of scrutiny is very important when public money is involved, you know, kind of.

For more information on how public funds are managed in educational institutions, you might look at reports from the California Department of Education, for instance, California Department of Education provides many public resources.

Impact on Students and the Community

The issues and the eventual closure of Highlands Community Charter School had a real impact on the people it served. One very clear example was how it affected Afghan refugees in Sacramento. These individuals were seeking education, English classes, and other important community help, and the school's closure meant they lost a vital place for support and learning. It was a very difficult situation for many, to be honest.

The problems uncovered by the audit and the subsequent actions showed that even with good intentions, how a school is run and how it uses its money are very important. The situation with Highlands became a clear example of the need for very careful oversight of charter schools, especially when they receive a lot of public funds, like your, you know, a public trust.

Looking Ahead and Learning from the Past

The story of Highlands Community Charter is, in a way, a reminder of how important adult education is, and also how crucial it is for schools to be very careful with their money and how they operate. While the school aimed to give chances to adults aged 22 and older, offering paths to high school diplomas and job skills, the later findings from the state audit cast a very long shadow. It's a situation that has prompted much discussion about how charter schools are managed and what kind of checks and balances are truly in place, you know, kind of.

For those who were part of Highlands, whether as students, staff, or community members, the experience has been a very mixed one. It shows that even when a school has a good idea at its heart – like helping busy adults get more schooling – the way it's run behind the scenes can make all the difference. It's a complex picture, to be honest, with many lessons for the future of education, especially for adult learners who are looking for a trusted place to grow, and stuff.

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlands Community Charter

Here are some common questions people might have about Highlands Community Charter, based on the information we've discussed:

What kind of students did Highlands Community Charter serve?
Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools were made specifically for adults, those who were 22 years old and older. They aimed to help people who were balancing work, family, and other things, giving them a chance to get more schooling.

What types of programs did Highlands Community Charter offer?
The school offered a range of academic programs. This included foundational English language development for those learning English, high school diploma completion programs for adults wanting to finish their schooling, and career technical education to help students get ready for specific jobs.

What were some of the main issues found in the audits of Highlands Community Charter?
A state audit found that Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools received more than $180 million in public money that it was not supposed to get. The audit also pointed to wasteful spending and raised questions about the oversight from the school district that was supposed to be watching over Highlands.