Alum Rock fires superintendent, plans to close schools

Alum Rock Union School District Superintendent Hilaria Bauer was unexpectedly fired Thursday at the end of a meeting over potential school closures, according to the San Jose Spotlight.

Earlier that night Bauer had announced that five schools would have to close because of declining enrollment. She blamed the loss of students to families moving out of the area, low birth rates and competition from charter schools.

The school board postponed closing the middle school portion of Aptitud Community Academy at Goss after East San Jose families protested. Board members expressed concern that the $1.2 million in projected savings would not be worth losing additional students to other schools.

The district has lost 5,000 students in the last eight years and should be operating only about half of its schools, said Kolvira Chheng, assistant superintendent of business services.

It is not clear why Bauer, who had been the district’s superintendent for a decade, was fired. The board will hold a meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. to discuss naming an interim or acting superintendent.