East Side Union High School holds public hearing on revocation of Escuela Popular charters; no vote taken

SAN JOSE — The East Side Union High School District Board of Trustees on Feb. 5 held a public hearing on whether to revoke the charters for two Escuela Popular schools, hearing competing presentations from district oversight staff and Escuela Popular leaders and taking dozens of community speakers before adjourning with no action. The board scheduled a final decision for a special meeting on March 5.

Teresa Marquez, associate superintendent of educational services, told trustees the hearing was part of the district’s responsibility as a charter authorizer to ensure schools operate according to their charter and state law. "This is a moment in time for the board and the community to listen," Marquez said, summarizing prior written notices, findings and unresolved issues the district has identified.

District oversight staff walked the board through a credentialing review and a shared tracker developed during a Jan. 29 meeting with Escuela Popular. Bjornberg, the district’s charter oversight director, said the presentation was informational and that "this is a public hearing only, and the board of trustees will not take any action" at the Feb. 5 meeting.

District staff outlined five criteria they said Escuela Popular must meet to exit the revocation process: (1) demonstrate independent, accurate monitoring of credentialing and assignment placement; (2) make significant progress hiring fully credentialed teachers; (3) reduce reliance on 30‑day emergency substitute permits; (4) provide a credible plan to move staff from emergency waivers and permits to intern/preliminary/clear credentials; and (5) maintain accurate PowerSchool reporting and timely communication with the district.

Staff flagged specific concerns including class‑size observations the presentation described as "up to 65 or a 105," gaps in documentation for some substitute teachers provided by outside vendors, and a combined operating shortfall the presentation listed at about $2.4 million across the two schools. The district also reported that, on the tracker snapshots they reviewed, earlier tallies identified a set of staff flagged "out of compliance," driven in part by CTE credential mismatches.

Escuela Popular’s leadership disputed the legal framing and emphasized steps the schools say they have taken. "It is our goal to have Escuela Popular Schools off ramp the revocation process before March 5," said Patricia Regerin, executive director of Escuela Popular. Principal Olivia Cortez described a centralized credential‑tracker shared with the district and said the school’s January tally showed 35 of 39 educators across both schools were fully credentialed for their assignments.

Ellen Doty, counsel for Escuela Popular, read state credentialing rules and a written response from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing indicating that "the emergency 30 day substitute teaching permit may be used to substitute for courses like English language development" provided the 30‑day limit is respected. Doty argued several issues raised by district staff during the process were not listed in the October notices of violation and said the district had, in her view, added new evidence after the cure period.

Escuela Popular board member Pablo Regueline sought to rebut the district’s financial characterization, saying the school had roughly "193 days of cash on hand," well above common minimums, and disputed the implication that the operating deficit made remediation impossible.

Public comment filled much of the hearing. More than three dozen students, alumni, parents, teachers and nonprofit partners spoke in support of the schools, describing personal and family impacts, the school’s bilingual and community services (including childcare and legal help), and urging the board to pursue partnership and additional time rather than revocation. "Escuela Popular is a vital bridge between the immigrant community and the United States educational system," said Sylvia Cortez, a longtime teacher and former student who testified in Quechua and Spanish. Dr. Gabriel Ruiz, a data scientist who spoke in support of the school, urged trustees to consider methodological issues in graduation‑rate comparisons for a student population with frequent non‑continuous enrollment.

The community comments included endorsements from the California Charter School Association and local nonprofits, which recommended continued collaboration and monthly credential reporting rather than closure. District staff reiterated the list of criteria and said they were seeking clearer, verifiable evidence that the school’s processes and staffing align with state law and the charters.

After public comment, the board closed the public hearings for items 6.01 and 6.02 and said it would continue discussion in a future public meeting. Member Do moved to extend the meeting past 10 p.m. and the motion was approved by voice vote; no roll‑call votes on charter revocation were taken. The board set a special meeting for March 5 to continue consideration of potential revocation.

What’s next: Trustees will review remaining evidence and legal analysis before the March 5 meeting. The Feb. 5 hearing produced public testimony and a more granular record of district staff’s credentialing and reporting concerns, Escuela Popular’s proposed remedial steps and broad community objections to closing the schools.

Sources: East Side Union High School District staff presentation and spreadsheet (Jan. 29/Feb. 5 exchanges); remarks and submitted documents from Escuela Popular leadership and counsel; recorded public comments during the Feb. 5 public hearing.