Parents Want To Stop Sunnyvale Charter School Closure

By Loan-Anh Pham, San Jose Spotlight

February 1, 2023

A Sunnyvale charter school plans to close its doors in June, leaving an entire community scrambling to find a new place for their children.

Summit Denali, a charter middle and high school run by Summit Public Schools, announced its impending closure citing financial troubles in a Jan. 12 email sent to families. Weeks later, parents said they are still trying to understand what happened. This evening, the Santa Clara County Board of Education plans to address the reasoning behind the decision at its 5 p.m. meeting.

The Board of Education oversees academic and financial decisions across more than 30 school districts in the county. It’s also responsible for renewing and approving charter schools in the area.

Nancy Agaiby, parent of a sophomore student at Summit Denali, said she was devastated to hear about the closure. She said her son has ADHD, and was enrolled at multiple schools before finding the right fit at Summit Denali. The news was sudden, and parents have been struggling to get in touch with school administration and Summit Public Schools leaders for weeks, she said.

“He’s doing so well, he’s getting A’s and B’s. He’s a very smart kid and the model works for him,” Agaiby told San José Spotlight. “What’s going on and why is there no transparency?”

Summit Public Schools leaders emphasized several factors in Summit Denali’s closure, including a budget deficit since its 2013 opening and reductions in COVID-19 pandemic funding, according to the Jan. 12 email. Schools across the county are grappling with the loss of pandemic-era, federal stimulus funds.

Officials pointed to the displacement of low-income families, which led to Summit Denali no longer qualifying for state funds targeted toward charters that serve high amounts of low-income students. The region’s high cost of living is closely tied with declining enrollment. Low-income students were disproportionately impacted by drops in test scores and chronic absenteeism during the pandemic, and educators pointed to housing and financial struggles which impacted student learning. State data reveals the school serves 644 students as of the 2020-21 school year.

Kate Gottfredson, chief of public affairs for Summit Public Schools, said the priority is to finish the school year strong as Summit Public Schools teams work to transition students and staff in the next several months. The Summit Public Schools board looked at various options that included shuttering the middle school and keeping the high school open, but the ideas were ultimately rejected, according to the email.

“A specific series of financial issues, when taken together, put Denali in an unfortunate situation,” Gottfredson told San José Spotlight. “Denali is a wonderful school and while we don’t want to close Denali, we do not see a viable path forward to remain open.”

Agaiby said officials have suggested that students apply to other Summit Public Schools locations, including ones in San Jose and Redwood City. But the locations are too far away, she said.

“They said if you apply to the south San Jose (location)… or the two in Redwood City, they will try to make room,” Agaiby told San José Spotlight. “For me to travel… two hours in the evening (to pick him up), it’s not feasible.”

Santa Clara County Office of Education spokesperson Kelly Wylie said the trustees will listen to the Summit Public Schools presentation. The county will ensure the legal procedures to shut down a charter school are followed and do a final financial audit, she added.

Agaiby said she hopes the office of education can help the Denali community get a chance to keep their school.

“They are the supervising entity: they need to supervise, figure out what’s happening,” Agaiby told San José Spotlight. “You’re destroying the lives of kids who are in the school and siblings who were planning on going to the school and a whole community.”

The Santa Clara County Board of Education meeting is tonight at 5 p.m.

Contact Loan-Anh Pham at loan-anh@sanjosespotlight.com or follow @theLoanAnhLede on Twitter.

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