With the school year starting just around the corner, parents of the Alum Rock Union School District are expressing concerns as the district is facing a slew of issues.
School board members called for a special meeting on Saturday to go over how it plans to close to half of its schools. But the meeting has caught parents off guard, they said.
“I’m concerned about my child because we don’t know what the future entails,” said Delia Oseguera, a parent.
The South Bay school district, home to 21 schools, has seen a decline in enrollment since the Covid-19 pandemic from 10,000 to less than 7,600 students.
The school district is also entering the school year without a permanent superintendent and facing a lawsuit by 11 students. The suit claims the school district conspired to hide sexual assaults by a music teacher, now in prison.
Some expressed concerns that the lawsuit could bankrupt the district.
“When we stop having that conversation, that’s when things get intensified. And that’s when parents feel they don’t have a choice,” said Chrystine Villareal, a parent.
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A few months after the superintendent was fired, the school board booted the board president by a majority vote.
With so much insecurity parents have floated the ideas of a student walkout or recalling the board.
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“I understand that parents are frustrated. I want to reassure the parents that as a member of the Board, I’m omitted to meeting with parents wherever they are,” said Minh Pham, an ARUSD board member. “There is a deep division on the Board on how to deal with declining enrollment, I’m not denying that.”
Despite the board telling parents they are working to address the issues, Villareal said it’s the last chance they have.
“It doesn’t feel like there’s the collaboration we’d like to see,” Villareal said. "We’re here to give them another chance to be here and have that conversation.”
