Superintendent of Schools Recommends Denial of ‘Samoa Beach Academy’ Proposal; Points Out Conflict of Interest with Danco | Lost Coast Outpost
6 min read

It is probable that no one will get to attend Samoa Seaside Academy. The occupation and technical education constitution high school – designed by a group of nearby tradespeople and organization proprietors and backed by Danco, which hoped to make and very own the Samoa-primarily based university facilities – has all over again gained a stamp of disapproval, this time by Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools Michael Davies-Hughes.
Read through the complete employees report at this website link.

It is been an unrelenting journey for SBA’s petitioners, who originally submitted their proposal to the Northern Humboldt Union Higher Faculty District, which contains Samoa in its boundaries. The proposal outlined a university providing three CTE pathways – household and commercial design, patient treatment, and business enterprise administration. Soon after NoHum staff advised disapproval of the constitution, petitioners withdrew the proposal and resubmitted a 2nd draft they hoped adequately dealt with considerations raised by the district, but it was not so. NoHum staff members yet again suggested denial of the charter, which the board affirmed in September. In October, SBA submitted an attractiveness to HCOE.
The Humboldt County Board of Education and learning hosted a listening session for the proposed college in December, where by many neighborhood members and mom and dad voiced assistance for SBA. The board will vote on whether to approve the CTE high university at its Feb. 9 conference, primarily based on conclusions and recommendations done by HCOE staff members. The conclusions, which are released on HCOE’s web site, suggests denial of the constitution because of to its unsound instructional plan and unviable funds. Also, the petition unsuccessful to provide sufficient signatures from meaningfully interested lecturers, HCOE found. But most likely what stands out most is the charter’s connection with Danco, prompting budgetary and conflict-of-curiosity problems from HCOE.
“The proposed facility’s expenditures are excessively superior so as to increase problems of misuse of general public funds, and the proposed lease runs afoul of Governing administration Code Area 1090,” the employees report reads. The proposed facilities, which would be created and owned by Danco, would expense SBA $300,000 in lease its initial yr in procedure, escalating to $649,459 by 12 months 5. In addition to hire and utilities, the constitution university would be liable for real estate taxes, making insurance and upkeep.
“These expenses are excessively superior for this locale and the increases 12 months-to-year are quite strange. For illustration, Northern United – Humboldt Constitution University leases quite a few facilities across Humboldt County. Their most expensive lease expenses approximately $1.10 for each square foot for every year. That lease also is a triple net lease, and has an once-a-year 3{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} lease increase built into the deal. By distinction, SBA will be spending $15.96 for each square foot in rent by itself in the first 12 months, with expenses rising to $34.54 for every square foot in yr five,” the report reads.
“Additionally, and importantly, lawful counsel recognized considerations concerning conflict-of-desire demands that possible protect against use of this facility in its entirety.”
The report notes that the operator of Danco, Dan Johnson, is not determined in the petition by title. Direct petitioner David Lonn afterwards told HCOE that Johnson is the “local businessman with deep educational experience” talked about as a consultant on the petition.
“This marriage runs afoul of Authorities Code Part 1090, which has been interpreted to use to both of those consultants and enterprises in interactions this kind of as this one,” workers wrote.
“In other text, SBA may well not enter into the proposed lease.”
In addition to that, staff who concluded the report have many issues about SBA’s instructional plan.
“The proposal for CTE does not seem to be meaningfully built-in into required coursework for graduation the CTE proposed does not show up to be have been preferred with students’ needs in thoughts and the software is not probable to be of instructional gain to learners with academic, actions, and/or social-psychological deficits, pupils who are English Learners, and pupils with disabilities,” the doc summarizes.
The report specifies that SBA’s proposed curriculum places overly hefty expectations on instructors, who would need to integrate all 3 CTE pathways into every single and every core program – an unrealistic and educationally impractical assumption, staff members say.
On leading of that, the broad three CTE pathways – which were decided on primarily based on reviewing occupations by median earnings between Samoa inhabitants – “is possible to lead to an unfocused application that learners can not full,” the report promises, noting that just after committing to 1 pathway in ninth quality, it would be practically not possible for a student to transform their thoughts afterwards.
Other considerations incorporate a guidance system not likely to in fact enable learners, in particular English learners and students with disabilities. The proposal misses the mark solely in terms of serving college students with disabilities, who are vastly under-budgeted for, employees found.
What else? The actual expense of food items products and services would be 2 times what SBA allotted. A supposed twin-enrollment system with Faculty of the Redwoods and (what will be) Cal Poly Humboldt seems unrealistic. Plans to give aggressive sports activities – which would necessitate compliance with the California Interscholastic Federation – appear a lofty aim for this charter.
On top of all that, the software is not fiscally steady, employees declare, citing a number of worries in addition to the conflict of desire with Danco.
“Petitioners will not be ready to productively carry out the method established forth in the Petition because the spending budget is not viable thanks to a selection of inaccurate assumptions and errors the proposed facility runs afoul of regulations governing appropriate expenses and conflicts of passions and Humboldt County has an recognized deficit in credentialed CTE employees vital to sufficiently team SBA.”
Obtaining each a initially yr enrollment of 150 and eventual enrollment of 300 – which the funds is dependent on – is not likely contemplating local charter college early enrollment background, personnel forecast. Furthermore, a study funded by the petitioners uncovered that domestically, attracting that many pupils is “a hard goal.”
Spending plan for staffing is unrealistic, staff found, and doesn’t account for a secretary or Registrar, foods service personnel, paraprofessionals, or servicing and custodial workers. On major of that, CTE instructors are sorely lacking county-wide, and HCOE workers question the charter is able of attracting skilled CTE lecturers.
“These are typically problems with any new charter university. What can make SBA exclusive is the distinct details that the competent CTE personnel they will will need in purchase to apply their application are not offered in Humboldt County,” personnel say, listing illustrations of regional recruitment worries in all a few CTE areas proposed by SBA.
“Our county is dealing with a likely disaster in CTE credentialed instructors,” the report states. Skilled CTE teachers need to have 3 yrs of field knowledge to qualify for CTE credentialing packages, which aren’t presented at HSU (apart from an industrial engineering methods training course, which is not an SBA pathway).
“Humboldt County has a quantity of CTE instructors who are near to retirement, but no pool of currently appropriately credentialed teachers. Coupled with the troubles attracting out of county people to Humboldt County, it does not seem possible to personnel a new CTE System in the County at this time. This is even additional the circumstance with a software like SBA, which intends to use three different CTE teachers.”
With all these conclusions in mind, Davies-Hughes has advised denial of the Samoa Beach Academy. In his address letter to the county board of instruction, even though, Davies-Hughes praised the petitioners’ respectful conversation and dedication to their trigger.
“It is my perception that this petition, though flawed, highlights and elevates the importance of CTE in Humboldt County. Outstanding CTE courses currently exist, and as an academic community we can still do far more to be certain that all pupils have the opportunity to be well prepared for futures of their picking out,” Davies-Hughes wrote.
“It is my honest hope that ought to the Board of Schooling act to deny this charter petition, the petitioners and supporters of this petition would interact with universities at the moment featuring CTE programs and use their passions and competencies to enable improve and grow what is presently in spot.”
The Board of Training will vote to approve or deny the charter on Feb. 9, and neighborhood associates will have the prospect to comment on the merchandise. The agenda should be posted listed here prior to the assembly.
If the County Board of Training denies the petition, SBA can submit an attractiveness to the Condition Board of Instruction. If authorized, the SBE will designate chartering authority to either the Northern Humboldt Union Large College District or HCOE.
###
Previously:
