Gutiérrez: East San Jose deserves leaders rooted in the success of our community

My family has called East San Jose home for decades. I went through Alum Rock Union School District from kindergarten through eighth grade and later returned to serve as a teacher and principal. ARUSD shaped me, and it pains me to see a destructive cycle of superintendent turnover, fueled by a dysfunctional board, repeat endlessly.

When I was a student, I saw four superintendents in nine years. As a teacher and principal, I worked under five superintendents in 10 years. That kind of turnover destroys relationships, erodes trust and stalls progress.

In March 2024, Superintendent Hilaria Bauer — my former boss and colleague — was abruptly fired. She served as district superintendent for 10 years, one of the longest tenures in ARUSD history. She wasn’t perfect, no one is, but she was a steadying presence. Her removal was political, just like so many others before and since.

Then came Imee Almazan, a trusted interim leader. If it were up to the community, she likely would still be there. After her, Germán Cerda was hired in September 2024, only to be fired without cause a few weeks ago, just as he was speaking up about questionable board reimbursements.

Now, Sandra Garcia, another longtime servant of the district and trusted leader, sits in the interim superintendent’s seat. Treat her well, ARUSD board. Don’t make her yet another casualty in this endless cycle.

All four — Bauer, Almazan, Cerda and now Garcia — were or are board-appointed. So, I ask: If they were right for the job, why have we seen such abrupt departures? The common denominator is the board itself.

Let’s be clear: You are not on the board to pad your resumes or advance your degrees on the backs of East San Jose families. Those are tax dollars for our kids, not your ambitions.

I do want to recognize one beacon of integrity: Trustee Corina Herrera-Loera, the lone dissenting voice against firing Cerda. That kind of dissent in an environment without psychological safety shows courage. We need more leaders like that.

Chronic turnover is itself a form of harm. Our kids feel it. Teachers feel it. Families lose hope. We ask: Why is this happening? Other districts have explored reforms like mayoral control or city- or state-appointed trustees to stop cycles like this. Currently, there are no term limits for board members. Why not? I’m not saying either solution will fix the problem, but something must change.

Our district’s story should be about the talented kids who fill classrooms and the hardworking teachers and staff who show up for them every day. Instead, the board’s politics are threatening to reduce it to a story of revolving doors and broken trust. That’s not leadership — it’s abandonment.

To my beloved Eastside San Jose community: Our accountability is through voting, and school board races have some of the lowest voter turnouts in the country.

To the ARUSD board: Being a superintendent is one of the most demanding jobs in education, and your dysfunction turns it into an impossible one. You were elected as public servants. Act like it.

Our students deserve stability, our educators deserve consistent leadership and our community deserves respect. I know there are leaders — talented, committed, deeply rooted in East San Jose — who understand our kids, our culture and our hopes. I was one of them, and I had the privilege of working alongside so many others.

The superintendent’s seat is not a trophy to be passed around — it is sacred ground. Protect it. Honor it. And deliver the leadership our students, families and educators deserve. We will not stop demanding it until you do.

Nancy B. Gutiérrez is a former Alum Rock Union School District student, teacher and principal, and current president/CEO of The Leadership Academy, which works with education leaders across more than 40 states. She is a two-time author and Harvard-educated leader committed to her home community of East San Jose.