But now that the district is facing a $2.8 million deficit for next school year, dual language program parents are worried the program could again be in jeopardy.
At a June 1 MISD budget workshop, five parents addressed the board of trustees and asked them to not cut from classrooms or programs when making budget decisions. Following the comments, MISD’s CFO Kris Lynn gave a presentation on the proposed budget for academic year 2020-21.
The proposed budget does not include any cuts to classes or programs because district CFOs do not have the authority to make such decisions without board approval, Lynn said. The board of trustees will need to make these decisions before adopting the final budget end of June.
Parents at the meeting urged trustees to find ways to save costs without slashing programs.
“We’re shutting down our classes to fix our budget. It’s like the NFL reducing its games [to cut costs],” said Mario Chapo, a parent of a dual language student. “Please look for other places to cut from the budget, ... not from our kids’ opportunities to have great classes.”
Amy Jones, the mother of a fourth grader at Stewart Creek, said her family moved to MISD specifically for the district’s stellar reputation and for its dual language program. Jones said her family has decided to move out of the district after her daughter completes fifth grade because the program is not offered at the junior high and high school levels.
“If you cut programs that attract parents, I believe that people will start moving away from this district,” Jones said.
Christina Guessagba Sato, who has two children currently enrolled in the program and one who completed it, said the program helps minority students adjust to school and fosters an inclusive environment.
“[When we moved to Texas], we experienced a lot of discrimination; racial slurs [were] used against my children in fourth grade,” Sato said. “But by December, ... many of those kids [who used those slurs] were friends with my son because they were in the same classroom, and they were learning from each other.”
Because comments were presented during the public comment portion of the meeting, district officials did not provide respond directly to concerns. However, in the meeting, President Jim Dossey suggested the district reallocate funds from other programs to make up for the budget deficit.
“Those are decisions that we as a group would have to discuss and make some hard decisions on as we move forward,” Lynn said.
