SAN JOSE – Just over a year after the Alum Rock Union School District Board has fired its last superintendent, officials have shown a different chief inspector the door without any public explanation.
After a special meeting with a closed session on Saturday, the board announced that the district will replace the former chief inspector German Cerda with Sandra García, an assistant inspector of instruction services. This decision comes after the board abruptly dismissed Cerda on Thursday, which got into his work last September.
Several parents and members of the community criticized the trustes on Saturday for the sudden switch, called for more transparency in their decisions.
“As a teacher I want to say that I now feel a bit irritated,” Maria Martinez, a fourth grade teacher in the district, told the board on Saturday. “The transparency has not been there in this part of the work you have done. … A concern that I have is, what is your evaluation process going?”
Suyen Jimenez, a district head, also reprimanded the board on Saturday before the treatment of district leadership.
“We come for you with heavy hearts and a deep sense of responsibility for our students, our teams and the future of our district,” said Jimenez. “The unexpected removal of our superintendent has caused considerable disruption at a critical moment, just a few days before our students return to school.”
Last year the board hired Cerda to replace the former chief inspector Hilaria Bauer, who dismissed the board in March 2024 in the midst of various controversies in the district. Bauer was at the helm when a destructive state audit report made the district made for financial errors during the management of various school construction projects, among other things.
With the new school year planned to start on 13 August, this leadership Shake -Up adds a low uncertainty for students and parents, while the district continues to treat a budget deficit of $ 20 million, decreasing registration and various school closures. The district decided to close six schools in December, re -design three and consolidate four others.
Chairman of the board Linda Chavez said in a statement on Saturday that García’s “energy and focus will be a big asset to the district, and I believe that the board has made the right decision.”
“Mrs. García is a highly respected career trainer and her relationships and knowledge of the community we serve will give her and the district a positive advantage,” wrote Chavez.
Garcia said in a statement on Saturday: “I was humiliated that the board has entrusted me with the great responsibility to serve alum rock students and their families. I look forward to working with our great leadership team, teachers and staff to have a strong start of the new school year.”
García brings 35 years of experience in the field of district education, which previously served as director, teacher and instruction coach, among other things, the district said. She first started as a teacher for the former Mayfair Elementary School, which is now called the Cesar Chavez Early Learning Center. She helped find the Adelante Dual Language Academy of the district in 2004 and was named Director of the Year by the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2013.
In an earlier statement on Friday, Chavez Cerda thanked “for his service at the Alum Rock School community and to the students and families that we serve during this transition period in the district.” She added that the district is “enthusiastic and hopeful for the opportunities for us. We encourage and welcome all stakeholders in the community to get involved in this process, so that together we can continue to support our students and families and strengthen our community.”
Board Trustee Corina Herrera-Lura refused to comment on the Shakeup on Saturday and said that she was not authorized to speak to the media on behalf of the board. However, she said, “I think the community stays angry about how the majority of the board keeps moving.”
Herrera-Loera was the only trustee that voted against Cerda’s termination this week and was one of the two different voices against the Council’s decision to dismiss Bauer last year.
San Jose District 5 councilor Peter Ortiz said in an interview on Saturday that families still have to “stay with the district”, but said that the decision of the board will have the students who will remain negative at alum rock schools. He said with the last Shakeup: “The audience now feels chaos.”
“Unfortunately, there is a commotion in the community,” said Ortiz. “I believe that families deserve clarity. I feel that they deserve stability on their campuses.”
Although the district continues to struggle, Ortiz remained convinced that the concerns of the alumrock community will be tackled in the coming years. He expressed trust in Garcia, who will take over as the best educator of the district, because she entails decades of experience in alumrots.
“I think the best years of the Alum Rock School District still have to come,” said Ortiz. “There is a bright future for this district.”
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