An East San Jose charter school serving immigrant families is at risk of closure.
Escuela Popular, a bilingual and bicultural school, could close its doors after serving the community for almost 40 years due to a state law that requires all charter school teachers to be fully credentialed. The school, part of the East Side Union High School District, still needs 12 of its 40 teachers to complete the credential process. After lengthy discussion at an Oct. 17 district board meeting, trustees unanimously approved the issuance of notices of violation to the school. The board did so in an effort to push the school toward compliance.
The board is requiring Escuela Popular to provide a plan that will achieve fully qualified and credentialed teachers, and to reform its operations, business and governance practices to ensure transparency and sound fiscal practices. It’s the district’s responsibility to ensure all charter schools are in compliance.
Trustee J. Manuel Herrera said he wants the school to succeed.
“Crisis represents both danger and opportunity,” he said at the meeting. “I want this to be an opportunity when we all come out of this as the partners that we’ve been and the partners that we can still be. Escuela Popular is well equipped to respond and basically chart the path forward.”
The state law requiring certification went into effect Jan. 1, 2020. It gave teachers employed by charter schools during the 2019-20 school year until July 1, 2025 to be certified. Escuela Popular was asked to create a program improvement plan when it submitted its charter petition in the fall of 2024.
Escuela Popular Executive Director Patricia Reguerin said when the law changed, the school notified staff and worked to identify a path to fulfill the requirements. But the process requires significant time and commitment — typically four or more years to complete a bachelor’s degree, followed by an additional two to three years for a credentialing program. The pandemic further delayed the process.
The school was given until Nov. 17 to submit a detailed, written response addressing each identified violation with a solution, Reguerin said. She hopes to partner with the district to resolve the issue.
“We were put on probation. They asked us to write an action plan, so we did, submitted it at the deadline and then didn’t get any feedback. The next letter we received was a notice of violation,” Reguerin told San José Spotlight. “If there’s a discrepancy with something … we can resolve it. No one has to be living under this uncertainty and stress, including the district, because I know this isn’t easy for them either.”
Reguerin’s mother Lidia founded Escuela Popular in 1986 to teach English and U.S. citizen classes to Latino students. The grassroots school serves 800 students from transitional kindergarten to adult learners. Free child care is provided for children of teachers and students, and a case manager connects people in need with housing, food, legal, health and mental health services.
Van Le, board vice president of the East Side Union High School District, told San José Spotlight the district is reviewing the information provided by Escuela Popular and will present an analysis and recommendation to the board in the future. She said no action is being taken to close the school at this time.
She said as an immigrant herself, she knows the struggle people face coming to this country and speaking a different language.
“I hope that after this meeting, we can find a way that we can work together,” she said at the board meeting.
At a Nov. 17 news conference, Reguerin said Escuela Popular is a lifeline for East San Jose.
“For four decades … Escuela Popular has opened its arms to immigrants and working families so parents and children can learn side by side,” she said. “We want to continue to transform lives via education.”
District 5 San Jose Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who represents the area, said students who felt invisible in large, comprehensive high schools found a second chance at Esuela Popular — and working adults showed up to class because they refused to give up on themselves and their families.
“Closing this school would be a huge blow to our community, especially our immigrant population, where they are experiencing pressures from the federal government,” Ortiz said at the news conference. “I’m here to say, ‘Not on my watch.’ I stand with our families, our educators and our students.”
Ellen Middaugh, an Escuela Popular board member, said the school’s teachers empower students who are motivated to learn in an environment where their culture and challenges are understood.
“This is not just a school. It is a community,” Middaugh told San José Spotlight. “They’re really supporting each other.”
The next East Side Union High School District board meeting is at 4 p.m. on Dec. 11 at 830 N. Capitol Ave. in San Jose.
Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected].