COMMUNITY MEMBERS of an East San Jose school district are demanding a trustee repay funds or step down from serving on the board.
Alum Rock Union School District parents and advocates are demanding Board Vice President Andres Quintero reimburse funds he received from the district to pay for academic courses to earn his Ph.D. — or resign. Nearly 250 people signed a petition presented to the board this past Thursday saying Quintero violated the district’s board of trustees bylaws. The district allows board members to be reimbursed for educational or professional development activities designed to improve their governance skills and improve student outcomes.
“A doctoral program in history does not align with these requirements. It does not serve the district’s educational mission, benefit the students of Alum Rock, or strengthen board governance,” the petition said. “Using public education funds for unrelated personal advancement undermines community trust and sets a dangerous precedent for misuse of district resources.”
Quintero received $22,700 for University of the Cumberlands courses. Former Superintendent German Cerda previously told San José Spotlight he was fired for looking into board reimbursements. In addition, Cerda said Quintero owed the district roughly $5,000 for health benefit premiums. Quintero later agreed to reimburse the district $4,527.90, which he received due to an administrative error. The Santa Clara County Office of Education is conducting an audit into the district’s finances following concerns being raised regarding board reimbursements.
Quintero: Reimbursements were approved
Quintero, who is a professor at Evergreen Valley College, defended himself at Thursday’s meeting. He said participation in professional development is encouraged for school board members. He added prior Superintendents Hilaria Bauer and Emmanuel “Manny” Barbara signed off on his reimbursements.
“In alignment with Alum Rock’s own board policies, board members are permitted to utilize professional development funds for conferences or coursework at accredited colleges and universities,” he said. “Every reimbursement request I submitted followed the proper procedures and was reviewed and approved by the district administration.”
Alum Rock Union School District Trustee Minh Pham shares the concerns raised by the petition.
“I too, would like to get to the bottom of this,” Pham told San José Spotlight. “I look forward to working with the Santa Clara County Office of Education on the recommendations that will be presented with the audit. That way, a complete and impartial examination can take place and ensure due process for all parties involved.”
“The juxtaposition of a board member making decisions that would negatively impact students … absolutely drops any trust and confidence that parents have in the board to govern appropriately.” Chrystine Villarreal, Alum Rock parent
Chrystine Villarreal said she and other Alum Rock Union School District parents are frustrated to learn a board member personally benefited at the cost of students, while the district closes schools due to a $20 million deficit.
“The district doesn’t have the resources it needs,” Villarreal told San José Spotlight. “The juxtaposition of a board member making decisions that would negatively impact students that are already at high risk of not receiving the educational outcomes that they deserve is even more disappointing and upsetting. It absolutely drops any trust and confidence that parents have in the board to govern appropriately.”
Quintero said he’s done everything by the book.
“If somebody has a concern and you feel that there’s illegal behavior, take it up with the district attorney,” he said. “But to simply go out there and call somebody a criminal and level these accusations is wrong. I know that it’s driven in part because of the tough decisions we’re having to make. We had to shut down a lot of schools. Take it up to the district attorney. Let them know what’s going on and let’s see what comes out of that investigation so you can come back and say, ‘I told you so’ … or you can reassess the positions that you’ve taken based upon the facts.”
Pushing for transparency
At the board meeting, parent Vince Tran said Quintero’s reimbursements might be “a gross misuse of public funds.”
“In a climate where we’re working so hard to even supply classrooms with basic supplies … I don’t understand why Quintero was able to get reimbursed for his doctorate,” Tran told San José Spotlight. “It’s at the very least unethical. Between the firing of a well-liked superintendent, German Cerda, and then the health insurance discrepancies and now this … I can’t understand how he thought this would be acceptable.”
Villarreal said after the meeting, families and community members still don’t have a clear answer how Quintero’s Ph.D. courses benefit students. She said the community plans to keep pushing for full transparency and for Quintero to reimburse the funds.
“If we don’t get clear answers from the district’s legal counsel and county Board of Education, we’re prepared to take the next step and contact the DA’s Public Integrity Unit, as he suggested,” she told San José Spotlight. “This is about restoring trust and making sure every public dollar actually supports our kids and schools.”
Contact Lorraine Gabbert at lorrainegabbertsjspotlight@gmail.com.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.