Arcadia board hears update on Valle EL program

At its Sept. 21 meeting, the Arcadia school board heard a report on the district’s Valle English Learners (EL) program. The program is committed to biliteracy and aims to strengthen learning connections. The main discussion focused on what it would mean for the community.

“I know firsthand of parents who bring their children here; they open enroll because of the Valle EL program, or they choose to keep their children in the district instead of enrolling out,” Kim Severson, EL teacher, said.

The program also serves students who speak languages other than Spanish. It also gives English-speaking students an opportunity to learn Spanish. The instruction benefits students in both language groups.

Concerns included whether EL instruction should continue beyond fourth grade. Severson said professional development is always needed, even for English speakers. Another concern regarded having to hire someone outside of the school to become a coordinator for the program.  Superintendent Lori Frerk said having a coordinator wouldn’t mean spending more money toward the staff. 

“We have the staff,” Superintendent Lori Frerk said. “It would be one less class being taught by the teacher.”

The Valle program could see larger class sizes if a teacher also takes on the coordinator role. School officials hope the program will attract more families to the district, increasing enrollment and potentially creating opportunities to add teachers in the future.

“The seal of biliteracy is part of it too,” Frerk said. “So that when they go for their jobs, they don’t have to take a bilingual test because the seal of biliteracy already grants them that they are bilingual.”

The board will reconvene with other members of the Valle EL program at next month’s meeting on Oct. 26. That meeting will also be the annual meeting and budget hearing, which will be followed by the regular board meeting.

The board also:

• Discussed budget spending across the district using Skyward. Having to borrow money to start the year to pay bills while waiting for money from the state. The budget will become clearer at the budget meeting next month.

• Approved procurement cards that will be provided to certain departments of the school to help navigate specific expenditures.

• Approved a two-year co-op with Cochrane Fountain City for the girls’ golf team to play at the varsity level. Arcadia will host the sport for the co-op practices.