Cajon Valley board deadlocks on Cadino Academy enrollment-cap amendment after months of dispute

The Cajon Valley Union School District governing board failed to approve an amendment to Cadino Academy’s memorandum of understanding after hours of testimony and legal back-and-forth, leaving the charter’s enrollment-cap status unresolved.

Staff presented Amendment No.1, which reflected Cadino’s voluntary decision to reduce a previously proposed 60% enrollment cap to 22% for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 school years. Kristen Barkcus, the Cadino executive director, told the board the revision “better reflects our available resources” and would allow the charter to proceed with buildout and enrollment planning.

Public comment split along familiar lines: advocates for the district’s neighborhood schools said a cap increase would divert millions from the district and harm classified employees and student services; supporters said Cadino offers strong academic outcomes and should be permitted to expand.

Counsel and trustees described a tangled timeline. The agenda tracked a January board action that changed the cap from 4% to 60% but was never finalized and posted as a completed agreement for ratification. Board counsel described that sequence as producing legal uncertainty and said no simple automatic reversion would necessarily follow if the board took no action tonight.

After debate, the motion to approve Amendment No.1 failed on a 2–2 vote with one trustee absent; Trustee Jurgis had recused earlier from the item. The board then directed staff to carry out the will of the board and send the agreed-upon documents to Cadino for finalization and further processing.

What happened and what’s next: Because the January vote was not fully ratified in finalized, publicly posted documents, counsel said the legal picture is “murky” and further board action may be required to conclude the matter. Cadino representatives said ongoing delays are disrupting facility lease payments, conditional use permitting and hiring timelines.

The board did not adopt a final enrollment cap tonight; administrators and legal staff will return with recommended next steps and documentation for a future meeting.

“Following further internal review and in consideration of our current operational capacity, our board has voted to voluntarily lower the enrollment cap to 22%,” Cadino’s executive director said in the meeting materials accompanying the request.