{"id":7791,"date":"2026-08-26T17:41:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T17:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7791"},"modified":"2026-08-26T17:41:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T17:41:48","slug":"a-longtime-learn4life-educator-says-she-was-fired-for-cancer-treatment-she-blames-these-3-obscure-companies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7791","title":{"rendered":"A longtime Learn4Life educator says she was fired for cancer treatment. She blames these 3 obscure companies."},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of California\u2019s largest charter school networks \u2014 a network that collects hundreds of millions of tax dollars a year \u2014 is being sued after firing a San Diego educator who requested time off for a knee replacement caused by her cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Read more A millionaire chemist recruited a Concord man to find stolen LSD. It was a decision all would deeply regret<\/a><\/p>\n

Her lawsuit also names as defendants a handful of firms with close ties to the Learn4Life network, pointing to a two-part investigation by The San Diego Union-Tribune that detailed their roles in school operations.<\/p>\n

RELATED: This California charter school paid millions to firms linked to its founder. It was shut down amid \u2018fiscal integrity\u2019 concerns.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sharrene Stuht held dual roles at Learn4Life\u2019s San Diego Workforce Innovation High School\u00a0as regional athletic coordinator and truancy officer for 12 years before she was terminated last year, just weeks after telling her supervisor that she required the operation, her lawsuit says.<\/p>\n

The plaintiff, 58, has been unable to find a new job and replace the health insurance she lost.<\/p>\n

The San Diego Superior Court complaint accuses the school of firing Stuht for her disability and treatment needs while it blamed a lack of funds\u00a0\u2014 even though it collected more than $450 million in public education funds in 2023-24, the most recent year for which data are available.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile Learn4Life claimed her termination was due to \u2018financial cost-cutting,\u2019 \u2018organizational restructuring\u2019 and \u2018business need,\u2019 this was mere pretext for the real reason \u2014 Ms. Stuht\u2019s ongoing recovery from breast cancer and need for accommodations and medical leave for upcoming knee surgery,\u201d the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n

According to the complaint, Stuht offered to perform alternative services and or even accept lower wages to stay on the payroll and keep her medical benefits, but the school would not allow her to.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWhen Ms. Stuht pleaded to keep her job \u2014 offering to take a pay cut, accept a part-time position or transfer to any available role to maintain health insurance \u2014 she was refused,\u201d the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n

A Learn4Life spokesperson said it could not discuss the allegations in the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cOut of respect for the privacy of both current and former employees, we do not comment on individual personnel matters, specific allegations or pending legal matters,\u201d a spokesperson for the charter network said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take our responsibilities to our employees seriously and remain committed to fostering a respectful, supportive and professional workplace,\u201d the statement said. \u201cWe appreciate your understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Among other things, the civil lawsuit says Stuht is not the only San Diego Learn4Life employee who was terminated in recent years after taking disability or medical leave. At least four other local workers were similarly dismissed, it says.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearn4Life systematically discards employees who need medical leave and\/or accommodations,\u201d Stuht\u2019s attorneys wrote.<\/p>\n

The complaint also says that Learn4Life did not do away with the duties Stuht fulfilled after she was let go.<\/p>\n

\u201cMs. Stuht\u2019s role as truancy officer support staff, or student retention support, was definitely not eliminated,\u201d the lawsuit alleges. \u201cIndeed, as San Diego area superintendent (Lindsay) Reese recently told the Union-Tribune, \u2018calling students who are not turning in their work is a schoolwide effort and a necessary part of the job\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Rocky Horror Picture Show\u2019 star Tim Curry, dead at 80: report<\/a><\/p>\n

An amended complaint filed last month relies heavily on reporting the Union-Tribune published in October, citing findings from its examination of business practices by Learn4Life schools and by the organization that directs much of their operations.<\/p>\n

Numerous teachers said that administrators were fixated on growing enrollment \u2014 and the tax dollars that comes with it \u2014 rather than students\u2019 academic success.\u00a0Teachers described facing pressure to post high attendance numbers, which would boost Learn4Life\u2019s revenue.<\/p>\n

One such teacher was Kirsten Travis, who left Learn4Life in 2022 and now teaches at a district school in Los Angeles County. \u201cI remember feeling at the time, \u2018This isn\u2019t right. It shouldn\u2019t be this way,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Since its founding in 2001, Learn4Life has grown into a powerhouse network of publicly funded charter schools that educates 20,000 or more students at dozens of campuses across California and spends millions of dollars a year on lobbyists and lawyers.<\/p>\n

Federal tax records show that Lifelong Learning Administration Corporation \u2014 the nonprofit entity that effectively manages much of Learn4Life school operations \u2014 saw its net assets more than double over three years, from $18 million in 2021 to $36 million in 2024.<\/p>\n

Most of its revenue comes from a share of the millions of public education dollars steered to Learn4Life schools.<\/p>\n

Company officials would not disclose contracts or other details of the business arrangement when asked last year, but in 2019, a top official said in a court deposition that all Learn4Life schools paid the corporation a 15% fee.<\/p>\n

While public schools\u00a0and charter schools\u2019 management organizations are required to adhere to state open-meeting and open-records laws, Lifelong Learning maintains that it does not operate Learn4Life schools and is not a charter management organization but rather a vendor.<\/p>\n

State authorities have said otherwise, finding that Learn4Life schools are operated by Lifelong Learning.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, public records reviewed by the Union-Tribune last year showed the vast majority of the boards of Learn4Life schools in California controlled by one obscure entity called Educational Advancement Corporation with close links to Lifelong Learning.<\/p>\n

Stuht\u2019s lawsuit names both companies as defendants, citing those ties.<\/p>\n

Stuht\u2019s legal team said their client is still suffering from the effects of losing her job. They provided a statement from the former Learn4Life truancy officer describing the challenges she is facing professionally, emotionally and financially.<\/p>\n

\u201cI experience frequent anxiety and panic attacks, and most days are filled with depression, worry and uncertainty,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI cry every day \u2014 while searching for jobs, when talking with friends and when thinking about my future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stress of unemployment has consumed nearly every aspect of my life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit has been assigned to Judge Terri E. Roberts.<\/p>\n

Defendants earlier this month filed several demurrers and motions to strike, asking the judge to dismiss the complaint as invalid and remove what it said was improper evidence.<\/p>\n

Rulings on those requests have yet to be filed, but a case management conference has been scheduled for Nov. 20.<\/p>\n

Read more Popular Mediterranean kebab shop coming to 2 Bay Area cities<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of California\u2019s largest charter school networks \u2014 a network that collects hundreds of millions of tax dollars a year \u2014 is being sued after firing an educator who requested time off for a knee replacement caused by her cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nA longtime Learn4Life educator says she was fired for cancer treatment. 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