Parents scramble to find new schools following Rocklin charter's decision to close
ROCKLIN – A school shuttered its doors with no warning. Parents of Placer Academy Charter say the recent announcement came out of nowhere.
Instead of enjoying winter break, dozens of parents are trying to enroll their children in new schools.
Jessica Brenner thought she misread a recent email from the charter school.
"Well, at first, I thought they meant final day before winter break – like winter break was starting a week early," she said. "Then, I had to re-read it a few times."
In it, parents learned the transitional kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school's final day would be Thursday.
"I wish we had known the school had this struggle," said Wendy Jenkins, another parent. "I wished we could've helped."
Multiple parents told CBS13 they learned about the decision Friday afternoon. The school's executive director said the decision was not made lightly.
In a letter to parents, the Rocklin charter school explained it began construction for a new campus, but cost increases plus the discovery of a high-pressure gas line during construction meant expenses outweighed its initial estimate. Cash flow became another issue after a financing deal went south.
In the end, the Placer Academy Board voted to close. Parents say the announcement blindsided students and teachers. For the children, it served as another disruption following the height of the pandemic. The announcement also left teachers without their jobs as some employees packed their belongings Sunday.
"We're all just searching for [ways] to rescue the situation," said parent Damon Jenkins. "We're just stuck."
For Brenner, she is looking for a teachable moment as she navigates this chapter of uncertainty.
"What happened here should be explored so that it can't happen at another school," Brenner said.