Sources with direct knowledge have disclosed to The Lantern that roughly 75% of middle school teachers at John Adams Academy were given layoff notices on September 11th, citing “financial reasons.” The sources asked to remain anonymous for fear of professional retribution.
John Adams Academy (JAA) is a charter school located in Sterling Ranch that opened to students this semester. The layoffs occurred only 14 days into instruction and coincided with “Grandparents Day” at the school, where many grandparents mingled with the affected teachers only hours before the teachers were shown the door.
Approximately 50 middle school students are enrolled at JAA. The same sources indicated that science and other specialty topics will now be taught by P.E. instructors, the school nurse, and potentially administrators. It appears the administrators, the professional management staff running the school, were unaffected by the layoffs.
JAA was plagued by issues as it marched toward opening this fall, including low-enrollment, construction delays, traffic concerns, and inspection failures. Sterling Ranch Development Company, the Douglas County Commissioners, and JAA were embroiled in a controversy in November 2025 over whether land quotas for community schools in Sterling Ranch could be met with a charter school. The Commissioners ultimately allowed JAA and Sterling Ranch Development Company to skirt the usual requirements to reserve land for neighborhood schools.
JAA also came into the news for a pilot program that deploys drones against school shooters in lieu of school resource officers (SROs) provided by the Douglas County Sheriff. JAA funding for SROs and drones has been a topic that even went before the Douglas County Commissioners as they grappled with whether to subsidize the new charter school’s security needs. JAA ultimately received an SRO from the Sheriff’s Office. Douglas County does provide funding for school security to the Douglas County School District to meet a variety of security needs. The cost of the experimental drone security program was originally priced at $200,000 when it went before the County Commissioners; JAA has since found other funding sources and has not disclosed the cost of the drone initiative.