San Jose charter school closes as Bay Area districts face declining enrollment and million dollar budget deficits
More than 200 students at DCP Alum Rock High School, a small charter school in San Jose, will have to transfer when the campus closes this summer — a victim of declining enrollment and a hefty budget deficit it cannot overcome and keep the campus open. Downtown College Prep – which operates the high school and three other campuses in San Jose – voted on the closure earlier this month. “I know once the board said ‘yes, we recommend closing it,’ we took a breath…and once we walked out that door, it was just (a blow),” said Madison Christian Sumpter, a junior at DCP Alum Rock High School. Like many other schools in the school has seen a 30% decrease in enrollment from the 2019-2020 school year, when the COVID-19 pandemic upended school life. DCP administration said it would have to eliminate nearly half of the school’s staff to create a balanced budget. DCP’s Chief Executive Officer, Pete Settelmayer, said 205 students enrolled at Alum Rock High School did not provide enough state attendance revenue to support all of the school’s services. He said the campus