The Westbury School District’s decision to cancel its successful dual language program has left many parents frustrated and petitioning the district to keep the program alive for at least a few more years.
“I hope they reconsider and keep the program,” said Dr. Renee Wright-Farnum, who has a fourth grader in the program. “This program gives children an advantage and it’s so beneficial.”
The district’s decision to cancel the program came after seeing that the elementary school reconfiguration, which takes place in September, would leave the program’s students unequally distributed among the elementary schools.
Most of the dual language classes would have small class sizes, which would take away needed teachers and services from other areas.
The district’s rigorous and competitive dual language program currently has 106 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The program runs in two schools but with the reconfiguration seperating children not by grade but by where they live, it would have to be split amongst Park Avenue, Drexel and Powells Lane.
The district said they decided to cancel the program because 73 percent of dual language classes would have less than 20 students while the remainder would have approximately 30 or more. Superintendent Dr. Mary Lagnado and Assistant Superintent for Curriculum and Personnel Eudes Budhai said that there were not enough teachers or services to run the program at all three schools.
“It’s impossible for us with the staff we have to service all the students,” Budhai said. “The number of students in dual language was small in comparison to the transitional bilingual class. So now we can serve more students than others.”
“We could not have the classes because the program would have less students and we would have larger general education classes,” Lagnado said. “The numbers are such that there are not enough to support three schools for the program. We don’t have enough services or teachers. If we accommodate one group, we’re short changing another group and we’re trying to be fair to every group.”
To compensate, the district will be offering an enrichment program for students currently enrolled in the dual language program. While it’s not set in stone yet if the program will be before or after school, it will offer students a Spanish curriculum
Parents voiced their frustrations with the decision at the June 18 board of education meeting, saying that not only were they upset that the district was doing away with the successful program, but that they weren’t given any notice.
The decision has spread word of mouth through the community after it was announced at a reconfiguration meeting at Park Avenue School on June 12.
Wright-Farnum found out from another parent about the decision and said she thinks most people are still unaware the program was cancelled. She believes the district should let the students currently enrolled in the program finish out through fifth grade.
“We have to sign a permission slip when we first enroll in dual language and it says K through fifth grade. That’s what it said and that’s what we expect,” Wright-Farnum said. “Our children deserve the chance to be successful. Students learn about other cultures and they’re working together. Our children have invested a lot of time and hard work into learning English and Spanish.”
Roxana Escobar-Merino agreed, saying that all the hard work the students, parents and staff have invested will be going to waste.
“It’s been a hard two years for my first-grade child, who’s brought home homework in English with components in Spanish. It’s been a lot of hard work on behalf of the students, parents and teachers,” Escobar-Merino said. “One of the reasons I stayed living in Westbury is because of this program. I feel like if they get rid of this, it might be time to pick up and go. It’s hard for me to believe they’re closing that door of opportunity for the kids.”
