In Learn4Life charter school network, millions of California taxpayer dollars get spent by one private corporation

"Some Learn4Life employees have raised concerns about the nonprofit, called Lifelong Learning Administration Corporation, that manages much of the schools' operations under the Learn4Life brand name and reaps tens of millions from them each year by taking a cut of their revenue. The corporation operates outside of state transparency laws, despite the outsize role it plays in running the Learn4Life public charter schools and being funded primarily with the public school dollars those schools pay it."

"Lifelong Learning has used that money to pay its now-retired top executive $600,000 a year and hire senior executives' family members for jobs with six-figure salaries. It also loans money to Learn4Life charter and private schools in other states, tax filings show. Meanwhile Lifelong Learning's wealth, as measured by its net assets, has doubled in just three years, from $18 million in 2021 to $36 million last year, according to its tax filings."

Learn4Life charter schools receive hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars annually to provide independent-study education for many of the state's neediest students. The independent-study model has produced mixed academic outcomes. A nonprofit, Lifelong Learning Administration Corporation, manages much of Learn4Life operations, taking a cut of school revenue and operating outside state transparency laws despite being funded primarily with public school dollars. Lifelong Learning has paid a now-retired top executive $600,000 annually, hired senior executives' relatives into six-figure roles, made loans to other charter and private schools, and doubled net assets from $18 million in 2021 to $36 million last year.

Read at The Mercury News