Millions Roll Back Into Public Coffers In Wake Of A3 Charter Scandal

By Will Huntsberry, the Voice of San Diego

June 2, 2022

Another $18.75 million has been paid out to San Diego County in the wake of the A3 online charter school scandal, the District Attorney’s office announced. All in all, roughly $240 million has been recovered from the A3 enterprise. Some of that money will go to the county, some to the state and some is still being held by a court-appointed receiver.

Money that goes to the county will be earmarked to help school-aged children.

The A3 scandal, exposed by local prosecutors in 2019, was audacious in scope. After enrolling tens of thousands of students — some who took classes and many who did not — A3’s network of 19 online charter schools brought in roughly $400 million. The two ringleaders pushed some $80 million of that money into private companies they controlled.

We wrote a definitive account of the scandal in 2019. The scheme exposed loopholes in how the state funds schools and the auditing process all public schools undergo. The case also brought to light a system that allowed small school districts to rake in millions of dollars for authorizing charter schools.

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