St. HOPE Schools Scrutinized In Charter Renewal Application

By Williamena Kwapo | OBSERVER Staff WriterSt. HOPE Public Schools, a pivotal charter school network within the Oak Park community, once again finds itself at odds with the Sacramento City Unified School District.The district sent St. HOPE a letter July 26 outlining several allegations, including conflicts of interest, concerns about accounting practices, and the qualifications of its teaching staff. This came after St. HOPE applied to renew its charter for the 2025-26 school year, placing a significant question mark on the schools’ future.Despite the claims, administrators, staff, and students at St. HOPE, which includes Public School 7, Middle School 7 and Sacramento High School, remain confident the charter will be renewed and that the schools’ reputation for success with students will continue to grow.“I’m sure every time there was renewal, there were questions. You would expect that from anyone who’s doing oversight,” said Lisa Ruda, St. HOPE’s superintendent. “When people look at what matters, I am confident that Sac High and PS7 … will continue to be able to do the work that they’ve done for 20 plus years.”Established in 2003 by former Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, St. HOPE Public Schools was created with the mission to graduate self-motivated, industrious,...