By Marsha Sutton
A full house packed the room at the May 28 Del Mar Union School District board meeting, the majority of the audience coming to hear the board discuss the Spanish language program slated for Del Mar Heights School this fall.
They also came to speak – 45 of them, to be exact.
But by the time the board reached the Spanish program agenda item, the time was 9:50 p.m., and 13 speakers had left.
Of the remaining 32, some speakers were from Carmel Valley, but most were parents and staff members from the Heights and neighboring school, Del Mar Hills Academy. Both schools share a common attendance area and compete for students.
The bulk of the controversy over the Heights Spanish program, which was approved in January by the school board, centers around its need for four kindergarten and four first-grade classes – with two classes at each grade level participating in the more comprehensive Spanish Discovery program (see related story, page one).
Those opposed to the program had concerns about its effect on enrollment at the Hills, the cost, and the wisdom of adding what they essentially view as another enrichment program, foreign language, when the district’s established enrichment program faces an uncertain future.
Arguments in favor of the program included the educational value of second language instruction, the years of work leading up to the development of the program, the virtually unanimous support among Heights parents and teachers for the program, and the sensitivity supporters say was paid to cost and enrollment issues.
The tension leading up to the board meeting had escalated in days prior, reaching a fevered pitch by the time trustees took their seats on the stage. With Heights supporters fighting to “Save Our Spanish” and Hills supporters wanting to “Save Our School,” both sides were seeing red and impasse seemed inevitable.
Prefacing the discussion with an impassioned speech for tolerance and understanding was board president Annette Easton, who implored the audience to “please put aside your agenda and please try to hear the other side.” For nearly 10 minutes, she spoke to a filled auditorium that was quiet as a church, constituents listening to every word.
She asked individuals to control their emotions and reach across the aisle to see how others might view the situation. She promised to do likewise, and suggested that her support for the Heights program did not mean she disagreed with the Hills’ position. If a byproduct of the program meant a yearly pattern of declining Hills enrollment, she indicated that would be unacceptable.
Easton acknowledged the validity of both sides of the debate, and eloquently asked others to do the same.
Hoping to calm the crowd, Easton said trustees had received over 130 emails and other communication on the issue and had read every one. “We have been trying to listen to all sides,” she said.
She said an intelligent community like Del Mar’s expects planning perfection. “We are data junkies,” she said. “We analyze everything. We want well-thought-out plans. But sometimes we get into an analysis paralysis that makes it impossible to move forward.”
Easton said the model for education is not the same as the business world and urged people to learn the facts, keep an open mind, and understand that the Spanish program is a trial program that is likely to be modified after implementation.
Hoping to soften any comments that might fan the flames, she asked the audience to consider all sides before speaking and, in the interest of time, to limit the length of speeches.
Before public comment, trustee Janet Lamborghini asked that fellow board member Katherine White, who has a son in kindergarten at Del Mar Heights, be exempt from discussion of the Spanish program. Because White’s son will enter first grade in the fall and could potentially benefit from the Spanish program, Lamborghini alluded to a potential conflict of interest.
Interim superintendent Janet Bernard said she had discussed the matter with attorneys and learned that there is no legal reason why White should not participate in the discussion or a vote. But she did note that there may be “a perceived appearance of impropriety.”
Concerned about setting a precedent that would prohibit board members from participating in a wide range of issues, Easton said that any trustee with children in the district could personally gain from voting on a number of matters. She cited as an example the explosive Ashley Falls/Sage Canyon school boundary issue that fiercely divided the Carmel Valley community a number of years ago, noting that certain board members participated in that vote even though they, and their children, directly benefited.
Ultimately the decision was left to White, who said that few people serve on school boards who do not have children in their school district. She noted that many school board members’ children reap the benefits of decisions their parents make while serving, calling it a fine line determining which votes are acceptable for individuals to participate in and which are not.
After thanking Lamborghini, with the slightest hint of sarcasm, “for looking out for my best interests,” White asked that the board allow the item to be separated into two parts: one for the kindergarten portion of the program and one for the first-grade portion.
Since her son will be promoted from kindergarten to first grade this fall, White said she will fully engage in the kindergarten discussion and any vote on the matter. But she agreed to refrain from participating in the first-grade Spanish program discussion because of the appearance of a conflict of interest.
“It’s sad that I feel political pressure to recuse myself, but I do,” she said.
Public Comment
After some debate about how much time to allow the speakers, given the late hour, the board settled on two minutes each, and public comment began.
Of the 32 speakers, 23 spoke in favor of the Heights Spanish program, citing a variety of reasons for their support.
Praise for Del Mar Heights principal Wendy Wardlow was offered by a number of speakers, one of whom was Elizabeth Folkerth, a Carmel Valley resident, who attended Del Mar Heights 35 years ago as a student. “Wendy’s love of education is infectious,” said Folkerth, whose son has applied for the kindergarten Spanish Discovery class reserved for students living east of I-5. She said Wardlow “is creating programs today that will help our children tomorrow.” Others called Wardlow a visionary.
Elizabeth Silverman, a Heights parents whose son was not picked to participate in the Spanish Discovery program, said she was proud of the work done with foreign language at the Heights and condemned the dissension. “People are only interested in what they can get for themselves,” she said. “This is about foreign language in our school district.”
Heights parent Kathy Nahum suggested that other schools “learn from this implementation” and replicate it at their sites.
“Every district has to start somewhere,” said Cheryl Ward, a Carmel Valley resident whose daughter has applied for the kindergarten Spanish class this fall. “I ask that we all unite and move forward with this program.”
Camilla Rang, a Heights parent originally from Europe, said the U.S. is the only country that doesn’t offer a second language in the early grades. “You can all learn from our mistakes because surely we will make them,” she added, addressing parents from other Del Mar schools.
Parent Bruce Smith drew gasps when he said his impression after touring both the Heights and the Hills was that the Heights’ presentation was “100 percent superior.”
Anthony Loeppert has a son in kindergarten at the Hills and plans to move him to the Heights this fall for first grade. “It’s good to have two options,” he said. He criticized the Hills community for making demands after the school board decision to proceed with the Spanish program had already been made.
Many speakers, including University of California San Diego medical school professor Tamar Gollan, cited research showing that second language instruction is valuable for young children, who have a particular ability to learn foreign languages faster and better in the early grades. “The benefits of bilingualism are underestimated,” she said.
Robbie Elliott, an English Language Learner instructor at Del Mar Heights, said she has personally observed how easily young people can learn a new language.
The value of teaching a second language to young children was emphasized by a number of speakers, even though this point was never disputed by those opposed to the Heights’ Spanish program.
Mary Taylor, outgoing PTA president from Torrey Hills School, said, “We get caught up in the wrong arguments.” She said the problem is not about the value of Spanish language instruction; everyone agrees it’s beneficial. “It’s about implementing programs the right way,” she said.
There were nine speakers opposed to the program, six from Del Mar Hills and three from schools east of I-5.
Greg Kostello, a Hills parent, said the board “created a situation where people are fighting with one another.” He asked the board to be more transparent and not “take away teachers from our school.”
Hills parent Beth Westburg disagreed with the cost estimates and objected to the program based on its negative effect on Hills enrollment. “Is it right to harm one school’s enrollment to make this program work?” she asked. The Heights, she said, should not have “a sense of entitlement.” In an earlier statement to the board, she referred to the Heights as the school “where most of the board members attend.”
Janet Pecsar, Hills PTA president, reiterated that the Hills community is not opposed to a Spanish program. But she said that Wardlow “has been unwilling to tweak her program” to allow the Hills to have three kindergarten classes. “She won’t do it until you make her,” she told the board.
Hills parent Marybeth Norgren choked back tears as she told the board, “I want our school to be looked out for. You can’t guarantee it’s only going to affect us for one year. It’s not fair that some other school’s program is going to impact my school. It’s simply not fair.”
The school board will resume discussion of the issue at its next board meeting scheduled for June 11.
