What you need to know
In an update on the district's emergent bilingual and dual language education program, Brittany Swanson, HISD's associate superintendent of instruction and innovation, said administrators are eyeing a potential expansion to Lee Martinez Elementary School when it opens in August.
Chief of Schools Cara Malone said that this could be achieved by staffing the rest of positions allocated for the program, without needing to add more positions to the district's budget. There are currently eight vacancies for positions within the program, she said, which is difficult to staff due to certification requirements.
About the program
The two pieces of the program—emergent bilingual and dual language—address the needs of students who arrive in Hutto ISD without speaking English, and providing opportunities for children from English-speaking families to learn Spanish in elementary school, Swanson said.
While the district is required to provide services to emergent bilingual students, who are defined by the Texas Education Agency as students learning English with a different primary or home language, parents can opt their children into the dual language immersion program as capacity allows, she said.
Currently, students zoned for Nadine Johnson and Howard Norman Elementary Schools who participate in the program attend Ray Elementary. In addition to expanding the program to Lee Martinez Elementary, Swanson said the district is considering adding Howard Norman to participating campuses, to host students zoned for that campus as well as Nadine Johnson, to keep them closer to home.
"I think it's really important that students are are closer to their neighborhood to receive those languages," Swanson said.
Did you know?
Swanson said there are over 54 distinct languages spoken at home by Hutto ISD families. Administrators said the top three non-English languages spoken at home among students are Spanish, Arabic and Farsi.
