Highlands Community Charter School

1. Highlands Community Charter School An Adult-Serving Charter School Hello Adult English Language Learners Adult Dropout Recovery Adult Career Technical Education

2. Serving Primarily Adults who don’t have a U.S. High School Diploma Highlands Community Charter School

3. Adult Drop Out Recovery

4. English as a Second Language (ESL)

5. Serving At-Risk Adults • Ex-Offenders • Estimated savings to Tax-Payers of over $35,000 per Student • Job Skills for In-Demand Careers that Ex-Offenders are Eligible for, such as Truck Driving • Many ex-offenders don’t have a diploma, or only have a GED, and thus can be served • Foster Youth who “Age Out” without a Diploma • Often Kicked out of Homes, and Need to Finish Schooling • The Homeless • Life Skill Academics • Retraining for In-Demand Jobs • Returning Veterans • Vets who have a GED can get Retrained for In-Demand Jobs

6. The Future: A Sister School • In the future, we plan to start a separate, but educationally integrated postsecondary school, that isn’t a charter. • This school will be able to serve students who already have a High School Diploma. • This school will be completely legally separated from the School District, and the district will have no liability for it.

7. Funding and Facilities • The Adult-Serving Charter will earn Charter School Apportionment, thus not taking money from TRUSD. • The Adult-Serving Charter could use facilities that the district is not using, and pay the standard charter school fee for such usage, giving money back to the district. By doing so, these public assets will continue to help the community. • The Adult-Serving Charter could contract with the district for certain administrative services, thus bringing more income into the district.

8. Addressing General Legal Concerns • We have worked closely with Five Keys Charter School, which is an Adult-Serving Charter School that has been running for over a decade. • We have worked with Young, Minney & Corr, LLP as our legal team, one of California’s preeminent law firms regarding Charter School Law. • We are willing to quickly address any concerns that the district’s counsel may have, to be sure all legalities are proper.

9. Addressing Union Concerns • All Charter Schools are Legally Required to Allow Unions, if the Staff Wants them. • Previously Most Adult School Faculty Members have Expressed the Desire to Stay Unionized. • Nearly All Adult School Faculty Members have Signed a Petition to Support the Creation of the Charter. • The Adult-Serving Charter School will Save Jobs, which is what the Union should Desire.

10. Addressing Enrollment Concerns • The Adult Serving Charter School will not take Enrollment away from District Schools. • The petition specifically gives registration priority to students who are not currently in school. • The complete focus of the petition is on serving adults, although we are also required to serve minors in some situations.

11. Addressing Concerns with Mixing Adults and Minors • While the charter school must legally allow minors who are Sophmores, that is NOT our focus. • Most minors will be in school already, and thus will not have priority in registering for our charter school. • Parents would have the choice of whether they want their kids to be with adults or not. • Adult Schools have been serving adults and minors for years by having concurrent enrollment of minors. • We will follow best practices of the Five Keys Charter School to keep minors separated from Ex-Offenders.