By Jim Kerr
For the second time in six months, the Del Mar Union School District's board of trustees has reversed an approval of a Spanish language program for the district, this time jettisoning a program at Del Mar Heights that caused a major squabble with neighboring Del Mar Hills Academy. The decision was made June 11 at a continuation of the board's May 28 meeting.
"We didn't foresee the impact," said Interim Superintendent Janet Bernard, "I just want to see this wonderful community come back together."
At issue was a new curriculum-based Spanish Discovery program approved by trustees earlier this year and set to start at Del Mar Heights in the next school year. Unlike a previous proposal for a Spanish immersion program at the district's Sycamore Ridge School that was approved late last year and then later rescinded after parent concerns, the Del Mar Heights program called for two kindergarten and two first grade classes to be a part of a Spanish Discovery program, in which students receive several hours of intensive Spanish instruction each week instead of being totally "immersed" in the language. The two classes were in addition to two regular classes in each grade at the school and it was the addition of those extra classes and the need to hire extra certified teachers, coupled with a loss of kindergarten and first grade students from shared-boundary school Del Mar Hills, that raised an equity red flag for parents and educators at the Hills. Many feared a growth in the program could contribute to a further decline in the student population at Del Mar Hills and bring into question the viability of a school that sits less than a mile from Del Mar Heights School.
Several attempts to reconcile differences between the two schools were attempted in the days leading up to last week's meeting including a proposal that was reportedly signed off on by Bernard, the board's president Annette Easton, and the principals at both schools, Wendy Wardlow of Del Mar Heights and Laurie Francis of Del Mar Hills. That proposal called for one-half less kindergarten and first grade classes and the addition of a new combination or "blended" class for kindergarten and first grade. It was hoped the formula would address the enrollment balance at Del Mar Hills while preserving a Spanish program at the Heights in both kindergarten and first grade. But two days before last week's meeting, Wardlow took the proposal off the table after teachers at the school, expressed concerns that changing the original model could compromise the program and necessitate having only one kindergarten and one first grade teacher available to plan for both regular and Spanish curriculum across three and a half classes at each grade level. The blended classroom did also not sit well with teachers, despite the fact several such classrooms already exist in the district.
One last proposal was presented to the board from Del Mar Hills just before the meeting. It suggested Del Mar Heights have three kindergarten classes instead of four and have all three classes as Spanish Discovery, while eliminating the first grade Discovery classes.
But with numerous changes being floated for a program that was several years in development by Del Mar Heights and with one day remaining in the current school year, Easton felt it was time to pull the plug on the program — at least for the time being.
"I share all of your dismay," said Easton. "We have heard a lot of support for a language program in the district, but unfortunately this one created a wide chasm. I think these proposed solutions further that divide. And for us to unilaterally make changes to the model is not fair."
"The board voted to suspend the program at least for the 2008/2009 school year by a 3-2 margin, with trustees Katherine White and Steven McDowell voting against the proposal.
"I want to be really firm on the world delay though," Easton said. "We want to eventually do this right."
As a result of the action, some 20 students from the Carmel Valley area who were to enter the program will be allowed to remain at their neighborhood school or still enter Del Mar Heights under an intra-district transfer. The school may still hold interest for non-boundary parents, as Del Mar Heights will, as they have for several months, continue to implement a Spanish Exploration portion of the program in which students in all grades receive a small amount of Spanish language in daily activities.
Additionally, at the recommendation of Bernard, the district will form a task force to examine enrollment issues at Del Mar Hills and Del Mar Heights. Both school communities have continued to express angst over the viability of having two smaller populated schools in such close proximity and Bernard acknowledged those worries. She even suggested the possibility of splitting classes at each school, having one school hold kindergarten through third grades and the other contain fourth through sixth grades. This would conceivably ensure as many language sections as desired.
"As long as we have two schools with declining enrollment so close to each other there is going to be competition for programs," said Bernard.
"I like the idea of this conversation," said board trustee Janet Lamborghini. "I'd like to see a task force. I think this could benefit the whole Hills/Heights attendance area.
"Especially if this solves the problem of how to get a language program into the district."
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