East San Jose school loses charter over lack of credentialed teachers

An East San Jose charter school serving immigrant students is fighting for survival.

Escuela Popular, which operates under East Side Union High School District, is staring down a looming closure after the district revoked its charter due to its teachers not being fully credentialed. The school, which provides bilingual education as well as resources and services to immigrants, is expected to close at the end of the school year. Escuela Popular leaders plan to appeal the decision to the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

As of mid-January, only 15 of Escuela Popular’s 30 teachers were fully credentialed, according to the district. But at an April 2 board meeting, legal representatives for the charter school said only four teachers lacked full credentials.

Still, trustees voted 4-1 to revoke the charter for Escuela Popular’s K-12 school and its Center for Training and Careers, a high school serving students over age 19. Trustee J. Manuel Herrera cast the sole vote against revoking the charter.

Herrera expressed frustration with the disparity of data between the district and school.

“The district’s management team and the legal team disagreed with the management team and legal team at Escuela Popular all along the way,” he said at the meeting.

Escuela Popular, which opened as a nonprofit in 1986 and a district charter school in 2001, provides free child care and resources for housing, food, legal, health and mental health services. More than 99% of its approximately 750 students are Hispanic and English learners, and nearly 97% are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

Patricia Reguerin, executive director of Escuela Popular, said closing the charter school isn’t in the best interest of the community and the district didn’t consider where about 350 adult English learners will go if they’re displaced.

“We’re a family learning center,” Reguerin told San José Spotlight. “When my mother founded the school, first she started just teaching (English as a second language) classes to adult students … so people could fix their documentation. They came with their kids, so they needed child care. They also needed access to different types of services and resources. Our model has always been, ‘What can we provide the students so that they can continue their educational journey?’ Because we know that education transforms lives.”

Superintendent Glenn Vander Zee said the district is legally responsible to ensure charter schools operate in compliance with their charters and the law.

“In my five years, I think this has been the most difficult recommendation I’ve had to make,” he said at the meeting. “But even so, after looking at the findings and the law that governs our responsibility as a charter authorizer, I believe the recommendations are sound.”

The decision was also tough for district trustees.

“I’m a wreck right now,” Trustee Pattie Cortese said at the meeting before the vote. “I had great hopes we could find a way to work together to keep the schools open, while ensuring that the community is served with appropriately credentialed teachers.”

Parent Vanessa Gutierrez, whose children attend Escuela Popular, obtained her high school diploma at the school with the help of its child care program. She said its teachers work closely with students and truly care about their well-being, and the school provides access to vaccinations, hygiene products, food and clothing.

“That’s something you don’t see at another school,” she told San José Spotlight.

San Jose Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who represents East San Jose, said Escuela Popular has been a lifeline for immigrants, working class residents and adult learners who face barriers in traditional systems.

“For many of these students, Escuela Popular isn’t just an option. It’s their pathway to opportunity,” Ortiz said at the meeting.

Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected].