Why this matters
America’s Finest Charter School, which serves transitional kindergarten through 12th grade, had roughly 450 students enrolled at one of its two campuses last year. The majority of students were Latino or Hispanic, with almost all considered low-income.
The top administrator at America’s Finest Charter School has been placed on leave as the small school in San Diego grapples with financial troubles and tensions between staff and leadership.
Board members decided during a special meeting Tuesday to put Executive Director Tim Bagby on administrative leave. They also placed Andrea Vasquez, a school employee and the board secretary, on leave.
It’s not immediately clear why Bagby, who’s led the school since 2022, and Vasquez were placed on leave. The board agenda only lists three “personnel matters” as the reason for a closed session without further details — even though public agencies are required to provide more information under state law, including whether they’re discussing potential disciplinary action.
Board President Roosevelt Blackmon would only confirm that the employees had been placed on leave, but declined to comment further. Bagby also declined to comment.
The shakeup comes after school leaders weighed the possibility of closing their high school campus earlier this year amid student enrollment declines and financial problems. Earlier this year, the school was facing a $2 million budget deficit.
Board members ultimately voted to keep the high school campus open.
As inewsource previously reported, the challenges have sparked criticism from community members, who in turn launched a petition calling for Bagby and then-board President Gary Rubin to step down. Rubin resigned in late April, when roughly 200 people had signed the petition. As of Wednesday, the petition had garnered more than 340 signatures.
This isn’t the first time the school has faced criticism.
Last year, inewsource reported how community members raised alarm over the use of an out-of-state consultant and allegations of nepotism as the school laid off employees in the wake of what was then a $1 million shortfall. The charter was under warning that it could run out of cash by the winter.
With two campuses, America’s Finest Charter serves mostly Hispanic and Latino children. Nearly all — 98% — of its students were considered economically disadvantaged last year.
A little more than 450 students were enrolled as of January, down from the 480 students the year prior. State data shows enrollment has fluctuated over the past six years, with an average of about 460 students since the 2017-18 year.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
