Kathleen Hermsmeyer, Superintendent Of Springs Charter Schools, Receives Prestigious Hart Award

TEMECULA, CA — Kathleen Hermsmeyer, superintendent of Springs Charter Schools, has been named the 2027 Hart Vision Equity and Innovation Leader of the Year.

The California Charter Schools Conference selected Hermsmeyer for the award, citing her advocacy for "personalized learning that responds to individual students’ needs by sharing resources, insights, and lessons learned that extend well beyond Springs."

She will be formally honored during the annual conference scheduled for March 8–11 in Sacramento.

Based in Temecula, Springs Charter Schools is a tuition-free public charter network enrolling more than 14,000 students across Southern California. The organization operates student centers throughout Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles counties.

The network offers multiple learning paths, ranging from full-time homeschooling to blended-learning programs that combine two to five days of classroom attendance with home instruction.

The Hart Vision Equity and Innovation Leader of the Year award honors standout charter school leaders who advance equity, drive innovation, and expand opportunities for students. Recipients are recognized for uniting communities, closing opportunity gaps, mentoring peers, sharing best practices, and advocating for public charter schools at both the local and systemic levels.

The award is part of the broader Hart Vision Awards, named in honor of Gary K. Hart, the state senator who authored California's Charter Schools Act of 1992.