Negotiating School Facilities: Lessons from the Field
This session is about successfully negotiating for school facilities, whether you’re dealing with a private landlord or school district. Our panel of two multi-school operators and a lawyer will share strategies and lessons learned from years of experience in applying for and negotiating under Proposition 39, including complicated co-locations, as well as facilities use agreements, in-lieu agreements, licenses and private leases. Our panel will share challenges and success stories from the negotiation table, and open the floor for you to share in a collaborative setting.
When/Where:
Topic:
Format:
Presented by
Chief Operations Officer
ISANA Academies - ISANA Nascent Academy
John Vargas is Chief Operations Officer for ISANA Academies, where he leads facilities and operations across six charter schools. He oversees facilities planning and development, capital projects, maintenance and operations, safety compliance, and long-term infrastructure strategy across six campuses. John brings practical, field-tested strategies to help leaders secure, finance, and optimize facilities that support strong, sustainable schools.
Partner
Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, LLP
Kevin helps charter schools build and restructure their organizations and governance, navigate corporate compliance regulations and tax-exemption requirements, and protect their rights to facilities through lease negotiations and Proposition 39. Kevin also helps schools with charter petitions and renewals, as well as special education and other student matters.
CEO
Allegiance STEAM Academy - Thrive
Sebastian Cognetta is the CEO of Allegiance STEAM Academy, a public charter school organization serving students and families in Chino and Fontana. He helped found Allegiance to expand high-quality school choice and unleash students’ natural potential through a STEAM-aligned model. Sebastian is an active statewide advocate for charter schools, serving on the California Charter Schools Association’s Member Council, and brings a practitioner’s perspective to leadership, growth, and sustainability in California’s charter landscape.
SESSION RESOURCES
No Session Resources
When/Where:
Topic:
Format:
SESSION RESOURCES
No session resources available.