DELAVAN — A community group is raising concerns over Delavan-Darien School District’s proposal to scale back or eliminate its dual English-Spanish language program.
Supporters of Delavan-Darien Language Program are a collection of community members, business owners, students, parents and alumni who’re concerned over impacts to students if the district trims back or ditches its dual language program entirely.
In Delavan-Darien schools, over half the student body — about 1,700 students in all — are hispanic.
The Delavan-Darien two-way Dual Language program provides classes for both native English- and Spanish-speaking students.
The classes currently begin in 4K, with 90 percent of the classroom instruction in in Spanish. The percentage of English instruction increases each year until third grade, where half of the day is in English and half of the day is in Spanish, according to the district website.
The district’s website says the district offers the only dual-language program in Walworth county that language and cultural education.
“It offers an opportunity for all students to become bilingual and bi-literate in Spanish and English, regardless of their linguistic or cultural background,†the website says.
The district also touts it has earned the “Wisconsin Seal of Bi-literacy.†The district’s website includes several pieces of marketing that trumpet the program’s benefits.
That’s despite the district and some board members now saying they’re not sure if it’s financially sustainable to continue hiring hard-to-find dual-language teachers needed for the program.
Lesley Luna has two children in the district who are enrolled in the dual-language program. Luna said a district presentation April 13 laid out the district’s assessment that it’s struggling to hire teachers for a program the districts says is underfunded.
That’s amid federal plans to cut dual-language programs while the state shows no immediate plans to boost such funding.
Kim Hansen has three kids enrolled in Delavan-Darien’s dual-language program. She’s a dual language teacher in Illinois.
Hansen said that the district said district officials say there’s “segregation†between students in the program and outside the program — with some officials saying it creates a silo that prevents some students from associating with each other.
Luna said Superintendent Drew Halbesma said at a meeting this week that the program needs to be scaled back so it serves students kindergarten to fifth grade — or that it could be eliminated entirely.
Halbesma and other district officials were not immediately available for comment this week. An assistant to the administration said top district officials were at a “career fair†late this week and out of the office.
The board held a special meeting this week to gather community input. The board voted to table a discussion to next month and formed an advisory board to evaluate the dual-language program before making a final decision.
Luna said the dual-language program has always lacked advocacy and support from the district’s administration — a problem she says had led to staff frustration, teacher burnout, and trouble retaining experienced teachers.
Hansen said studies show it takes students five to seven years to become bilingual, but that people who speak a foreign language must practice the skill continuously in order to retain it.
She believes the district is using a shortage of dual language teachers as an excuse to gut or get rid of the program entirely.
She said given the high proportion of hispanic students in the district, it’s not an option to simply not hire Spanish-speaking teachers.
“This is the opinion of the administration and the school board,†she said. “If you eliminate or reduce a program, those Spanish-speaking students are still going to need qualified instructors to teach them.
“This only cuts off opportunities for native English students to become bilingual.â€
Hansen said her kids are frustrated because the proposed cuts might affect their future in the workforce. She said being bilingual offers opportunities for both students — and local companies they may grow up to work for.
