PHOENIX - A former charter school vice principal in Arizona has pleaded guilty to felony theft charges stemming from a $2.5 million scheme to inflate enrollment.
The Arizona Republic reported Joann Vega is the third executive at the now-closed Bradley Academy of Excellence to enter a guilty plea for falsifying student enrollment figures.
Arizona public schools are funded based on the number of students, meaning each additional student brings more tax dollars.
The school closed in January 2018 ahead of an audit from the state education department. Vega faces up to eight years and nine months in prison. She is scheduled for sentencing April 24.
