By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer
With five options on the table, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education has to choose which one will determine the future of the district’s Spanish Dual Language Program.
Earlier this year, the district’s dual-language administrative team, comprised of school principals and district administrators, released a report recommending the expansion of the Spanish Dual Language Program by creating a dual-language magnet school at Frank Porter Graham Elementary School (FPG) while maintaining two Spanish dual-language classes at Carrboro Elementary School.
On May 17, board Chair Mia Burroughs indicated to staff that a majority of the board supported recommendations to turn FPG into a Spanish dual-language magnet school.
Soon after that meeting, the board scheduled a special meeting on May 29 to further discuss the magnet-school concept and ended up directing administration to return on June 7 with five options for Spanish dual-language expansion.
Those five options are: having four schools with two Spanish dual-language classes each; making FPG a Spanish dual-language magnet school (with program preference given to students in the FPG walk zone), plus two Spanish dual-language classes at Carrboro Elementary; placing the magnet school at Carrboro (with walk-zone preference given to students in the Carrboro walk zone), plus two classes at FPG and two at Scroggs; a Carrboro magnet school without walk-zone preference plus two additional classes at FPG and Scroggs; and an FPG magnet without walk-zone preference, plus two classes at Carrboro.
About three years ago Carrboro Elementary approached the school board about becoming a dual language-only school, but had concerns about attendance zones, not having enough Spanish speakers to support the program and where to send children who did not want to be enrolled in dual-language programs.
“Over the last three years and including this year’s kindergarten class, the demand for spaces in the dual-language program has been around 90 to 95 percent [of Carrboro students],†Carrboro Elementary Principal Emily Bivins said, “but less then half of them get a seat.â€
Todd LoFrese, assistant superintendent for support services, said while the dual-language administrative team considered Carrboro as a magnet, one of the main issues was disrupting the school’s large walk zone and the logistical difficulties in busing students from the walk zone to other schools.
“The board had previously seen a proposal from Carrboro and had chosen not to do it,†LoFrese said. “The feedback we have gotten in the past and with this process is that the board wasn’t willing to consider disrupting a larger walk zone.â€
Bivins said Carrboro Elementary teachers and families are divided on what they want to happen. While some agree having a magnet school would make it easier for teacher collaboration, others value having a truly community-based school and want to see it kept intact.
LoFrese said the dual-language administrative team still supports its original recommendations of turning FPG into the magnet school by the 2013-14 school year.
“Whatever the board of education does I hope everyone in the district continues to focus on what is right for all children.†Bivins said. “Some students are currently being denied access to dual language, particularly Spanish-speaking students that right now don’t have the choice to enroll because of the school they are in.â€
The school board is scheduled to vote tonight (Thursday) at a meeting at Chapel Hill Town Hall at 7 p.m. However, if the board postpones the vote tonight, LoFrese said it needs to decide by June 21 to allow enough time to implement the plan.
“Following that we then get into July, which I think is probably too late,†LoFrese said. “I think the 21st of June is probably the furthest we can take this out.â€