Stembridge Academy petition: petitioner absent at Aug. 6 hearing; district official cites prior revocation

The Orange County Board of Education held a public hearing Aug. 6 on a countywide charter petition submitted by STEMbridge Academy but petitioners did not appear and OCDE staff reported limited communication. OCDE staff said the lead petitioner emailed on July 14, saying the petition contained errors and that the governing board intended to consider withdrawal; staff told trustees it had not heard further. Because the petition was certified complete on filing, staff said it must continue the statutory review and hold the public hearing. The petitioners had identified interest in facilities in Anaheim Elementary and Garden Grove Unified districts. A representative who said she spoke for three local districts — Lynwood, Anaheim Elementary and Garden Grove — told trustees the petition previously had been revoked by the Lennox School District and that Los Angeles County Office of Education upheld that revocation. She said the prior revocation stemmed from allegations of fiscal mismanagement, conflicts of interest involving payments to relatives and vendors and missing financial audits for certain years. The commenter urged the Orange County board to deny any future petition from the same operators. OCDE staff said a clarification meeting was scheduled but that it might be canceled if the petitioners do not respond; staff will continue its review and publish recommendations as required by law. The board took no action at the hearing.