SJUSD's Wake Up Call

By The Charger Account Editorial Board Sep 25 2024

DISTRICT ADRIFT, in all-caps, titles a new 41-page report on the woes of the school’s very own San José Unified School District (SJUSD). The Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury’s findings were published on June 10, outlining the persistent failures of the district leaders and Board of Trustees to provide staff and students with the expected resources necessary for an effective educational environment. 

SJUSD is the largest district in Santa Clara County, but its mismanagement issues and failures to effectively serve its students are reflected in many facets of its governance. For one, it has the highest staff turnover rate out of any school district in the county; the Grand Jury reports that more than half of the school’s principals have served for just two years or fewer. Although SJUSD attributes these losses to COVID burnout and administrators seeking higher-paying jobs, the report highlights a toxic workplace culture as the main source of resignations. 41% of employees have reported that the district’s culture is one of distrust, and 33% of long serving administrators feel afraid to speak out against problematic policies, creating a culture where critical issues affecting SJUSD students often go unaddressed.

The district has also lagged behind in addressing its students’ mental health concerns. The report claims that, of SJUSD’s 41 schools, only one has an open wellness center for students. Additionally, instead of hiring new staff, the Grand Jury criticizes the district’s plans to simply add wellness center responsibilities to existing employees as it further stretches the district’s already minimal resources. Disorganization is rampant as well—safety responses are not standardized throughout the district, and employee misconduct investigations are mismanaged. In one case, hundreds of thousands of dollars were stolen from a parent organization over the span of four years, yet SJUSD refused to investigate entirely. If their students’ academic success is truly the district’s main goal—as it should be—they must be held accountable for such oversights. 

SJUSD has also ignored the concerns of its community; it took no action on a petition signed by 300 concerned parents about school safety in May 2023. Furthermore, its board meetings remain difficult to access—only audio recordings are released, and the meetings are not livestreamed nor uploaded in video-format. Not all parents can attend in-person meetings, but this is no excuse to silence their voices by making online participation impossible. Virtual meeting tools are incredibly streamlined, so SJUSD could easily introduce these. Both parents and students must increase pressure on the district to be more transparent.

The only response SJUSD coughed up to the 24-page report was a flimsy claim that the Grand Jury lacked concrete evidence and examples. The district highlighted how their approach already accounted for many of the shortcomings they were accused of. For example, they explained that all schools have counseling and health services in place, and four are scheduled to implement wellness centers this school year. SJUSD does not plan to carry out most of the Grand Jury’s nine recommendations, but they will partially implement one—improving staff training on preventing opioid overdose.

Yet ignoring the county’s recommendations is not enough. The district must take actionable steps to improve upon its shortcomings, as even small mistakes impact thousands of students. By attending public schools, students and families place trust in the district—this trust needs to be respected by SJUSD, both to justify the taxpayer’s dollar and the rights of students and staff. 

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About the Contributors

Jay Li is a senior at Leland High School and an Editor in Chief for Leland Journalism.

Antara Gangwal is a senior at Leland High School and a co-Editor-in-Chief. This is her third year in journalism and she loves how the newspaper can uplift student voices and community stories. She enjoys listening to music and watching sunsets with friends and family.

Lauren Wilson is a Senior at Leland High School and an Editor in Chief. She enjoys helping with articles and page designs. She likes competitive cheer, pottery and her pets.

Kyan Wang is a senior at Leland High School and is the Editor-in-Chief for Science & Tech, Feature US, Feature World, and Last Word for The Charger Account. When not being crushed by imminent deadlines, he enjoys listening to music, wasting away on his computer, and sleeping until noon.