A small Shasta County School District has been informed that it is in financial crisis and faces possible insolvency that could result in it being unable to meet its financial obligations.
The Shasta County Office of Education (SCOE) sent a letter earlier this month informing the Oak Run Elementary School District board of trustees that there have also been reports of theft or misappropriation of district and club funds and a “great number” of violations of the state’s open meeting law.
The letter also said the county office has received multiple reports of a hostile work environment and unprofessional conduct.
In addition, fewer than half of the 30 students at Oak Run Elementary School — the only school in the district — had the proper immunization records or medical exemptions on file, the letter from Jessica Bigby, SCOE’s senior executive director of business services, said in the Dec. 13 letter
The immunization documentation is needed to receive average daily attendance funding from the state for the students. The district could also face penalties for not keeping proper records, the letter says.
“The potential loss of funding based on the current audit finding could put the district in financial jeopardy and cause them to not be able to meet their financial obligations,” Bigby wrote to the district.
District Superintendent Misti Livingston could lose her teaching or administrative credential for either knowing the students lacked immunization records or she failed to verify their records, the letter said.
When asked about the issues brought up in the letter, Livingston said they were baseless. She is also principal of the school.
“But I will tell you that nothing in that letter is factual, and it was written based on the lies of two disgruntled former employees and one family, whose wishes are to get this principal out of the way (like they’ve done to sooo many in the last 10 years) and shut this much needed school down to turn it into a community center, and without checking the facts with Oak Run School,” Livingston wrote in a Facebook message.
“There was not one phone call, text message, or email to anyone at the school… nothing to fact-check anything written before putting it out,” Livingston said.
No one with SCOE could be reached for comment this week while schools were out for the holiday break.
Maghan Hunt said her son attended the school until November. But after she spoke at a school board meeting and criticized the staff and trustees, her child’s interdistrict transfer was revoked and he was no longer allowed to go to school in Oak Run.
Hunt said she complained to the county office that the Oak Run board was not following the requirements of the state’s open meeting law, called the Brown Act. Hunt said that after complaints at the board meeting she was prohibited from being on the school campus and was not allowed to attend board meetings.
“It’s been wild, absolutely wild, and I tell you what, I swear to goodness, I’ve never in my life witnessed anything like sitting at one of those board meetings. I sat through two of them and then didn’t make it to the December one because again, my access was restricted,” Hunt said.
Bigby’s letter noted other alleged issues besides Brown Act violations in the district. It also said California Highway Patrol inspections showed there was unsatisfactory documentation of drug and alcohol testing. The letter was not clear on whether that involved bus drivers or some other transportation issue.
Not all school employees had watched videos mandated by the school’s insurer, which could cause the district’s deductible to increase from $1,000 to $150,000, the letter says. The letter did not indicate the subject matter of the videos.
In light of the issues noted in the letter, the county has requested a meeting with the board of trustees president to discuss the implications of the letter and the next steps for the district.
The county office also intends to assign a fiscal advisor regarding attendance and financial concerns as well as create a fiscal solvency plan.
“Accordingly, the county superintendent may act to disapprove or hold payments to vendors or staff as needed to maintain the solvency of the district and protect the assets of the district,” the letter says.
The letter says the district may appeal SCOE’s determinations to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who is required to make a determination within 10 days, sustaining or denying the appeal.
Livingston said the district is sending its own “correct documentation” to the California Department of Education “to right SCOE’s wrong.”
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County school district told it’s in ‘financial crisis’