Years after A3 charter school fraud case, San Diego County plans to help students with $25M recovered from it

A new $25 million grant paid for by criminal fines from the landmark A3 charter school fraud case will benefit San Diego County’s K-12 students, the district attorney announced Friday, nearly four years after the case was resolved.

The leaders of the A3 network of mostly online charter schools were charged in 2019 with a scheme that prosecutors said relied on faking student enrollment and attendance to defraud the state of hundreds of millions of dollars. They pleaded guilty and paid restitution by 2022. 

“The funds will strengthen and expand access to mental health, the safety of our kids, their wellness, their educational supports that they need for K-12 students and to support those most vulnerable kids — who are in our foster care system, or also kids who are living out of cars, in encampments on our streets that are homeless,” said District Attorney Summer Stephan.

The judge overseeing the A3 case had previously ordered a portion of funds to be paid to the county and put in a trust fund for K-12 students. The Board of Supervisors approved the $25 million for the County Office of Education and its program.

Previously, $6 million was disbursed in smaller amounts to 47 different providers, Stephan said. Those initial grants info...