A vacant former youth center in East San Jose has been demolished more than a month after a fire halted plans for its restoration. Excavators knocked down what remained of the Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) building Saturday, breaking the hearts of community advocates who fought to save it. Trustees with the Alum Rock...
East San Jose school district buys campus amid deficit
One East San Jose school district is purchasing a vacant school after closing six campuses this year due to a multimillion-dollar deficit. Alum Rock Union School District is using $5 million from Measure S funds, a bond passed by voters in 2022 for school improvements, to purchase the former Downtown College Prep Alum Rock Charter...
East San Jose school district waits for burned youth center assessment
As an East San Jose school district gets quotes to potentially demolish a former vacant youth center that caught fire last month, advocates are still attempting to save it. The Alum Rock Union School District is still weighing what needs to be done with the former Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) building, which burned...
East San Jose school district mismanages health insurance payments
The board vice president of an East San Jose school district will give back thousands of dollars in health care premiums after the district overpaid him, due to an administrative error. Andres Quintero, board vice president of the Alum Rock Union School District, will be required to reimburse the district $4,527.90 in insurance premiums. The...
Future of East San Jose youth center uncertain after fire
A devastating fire that recently gutted a vacant youth center in East San Jose hasn’t diminished the community’s desire to restore it for future use. The former Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) building burned down Friday, breaking the hearts of Eastside advocates who want to revitalize and reuse the space. The Alum Rock Union...
Hernandez: Alum Rock Union School District needs state oversight
Every kid deserves a strong, stable public school, but I learned early on that not every kid gets one. I grew up in East San Jose, a resilient community that cherishes education and faces impossible choices. Like many families, my family faced either sending me to a failing neighborhood school or seek better. That led...
East San Jose school leader fired for looking into questionable expenses
A former East San Jose school superintendent is speaking out about his abrupt firing, saying he was let go for asking board members to reimburse questionable expenses billed to the district. The Alum Rock Union School District board of trustees voted July 31 to fire then-Superintendent German Cerda, less than a year after he was...
East San Jose school district scrambles to hire interim superintendent
After hiring and firing a second superintendent within one year, Alum Rock Union School District chose a new interim leader. In an unanimous vote during a special board of trustees meeting on Saturday, the district appointed, effective Aug. 12, Sandra Garcia, assistant superintendent of instructional services as its acting superintendent. Garcia had already assumed major...
East San Jose school district fires superintendent hired last year
The Alum Rock Union School District board of trustees on Thursday voted to fire recently appointed Superintendent German Cerda. The board of trustees said in a statement it has “unilaterally” ended the employment relationship with Cerda effective in 10 days. No other explanation was given. The board and administration are focused on the successful opening...
East San Jose youth center garners support for remodel
Community efforts to save the Mexican American Community Services Agency youth center in East San Jose are paying off. The Alum Rock Union School District board of trustees on Thursday voted unanimously 4-0, with Trustee Minh Nguyen absent, to extend the deadline for deciding the youth center’s fate. This will allow time for forging a...