Mountain Times - Volume 48, Number 21: May 22-28, 2019

The Mountain Times • May 22-28, 2019 NEWS BRIEFS • 11
School board considers cutting foreign language
By Curt Peterson
WOODSTOCK—One important issue among
many topics discussed by board members of the
Windsor Central Modified Unified Union School District
at the Woodstock Middle School Library on May
13 was elimination of language learning for Kindergarten
through third grade.
Jamie Ziobro, father of a second-grader, read
from a letter signed by him, Lydia Locke, Stacy Bebo,
Patrick Crowl, and Lorissa and Sam Segal, protesting
against the language studies changes:
“I and other parents met with Superintendent
Banios on April 26 to discuss the importance of foreign
language instruction beginning at the kindergarten
level. Superintendent Banios agreed to look into
the possibility of adding foreign language back to the
elementary academic calendar,” Ziobro wrote.
Recommendations by the language committee
were cited at both the meeting and in a subsequent
email from Banios.
“It would be helpful if, in the interest of transparency
and full disclosure, the recommendations of
this team be shared with the public,” Ziobro’s letter
continued.
Superintendent Mary Beth Banios provided a copy
of the language committee’s “World Language at the
Elementary Level: Action Plan” document to which
Ziobro referred.
When the plan was created the District was providing
two classes of 30 or 45 minutes each per week in
grades K-6.
“Students receive language instruction one time
per week, starting either in kindergarten or first
grade, depending on the school, varying in length of
time from 25 minutes of instruction in kindergarten,
“THE CURRENT MODEL OF
LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION
(1 LESSON PER WEEK) WILL
NOT ACCOMPLISH THE GOAL
OF ACHIEVING A SCORE OF
NOVICE MID,” THE DOCUMENT
CONTINUES.
to 45 minutes of instruction in sixth grade,” the Plan
reads.
The Plan goal is to “Expand the instructional time
for world language” so that, “By the end of the sixth
grade …, students will at least attain a novice midproficiency
level.”
“The current model of language instruction (1 lesson
per week) will not accomplish the goal of achieving
a score of novice mid,” the document continues.
Specifically, the committee recommended three
classes per week of 30 minutes each for Kindergarten,
first and second grades,
four 30-minute classes
for grades 3 and 4, and
four 45-minute classes for
grades 5 and 6.
It became obvious this
was the first several board
members had become
aware of the changes.
Killington representative
Jim Haff said his
daughter Meaghan’s
experience validates
language instruction in the
early grades – inspired by French class in Killington’s
kindergarten, she is entering graduate school to study
language, including Arabic.
Haff said he first learned about the language studies
change from Mr. Ziobro’s objection, not from
board discussions. Other board members expressed
the same lack of awareness.
Jennifer Iannantuoni, board vice-chair and representing
Killington, said a 2019-2020 budget presentation
to the Board in June included the changes.
Haff told the Mountain Times taht he remembers
Superintendent Banios saying the number of teaching
positions was being reduced, but hadn’t translated
that to mean elimination of the Kindergarten through
third grade language classes.
“I asked to see the notes from the meeting when
that decision was made,” Haff said.
Elaine Leibly, primary language educator in the elementary
schools, said she recommends no fewer than
three language classes per week, starting as young as
possible. One weekly class
may be enough to introduce
students to a different
culture, but not enough to
produce language proficiency,
she said.
Banios emailed The
Mountain Times: “We have
moved resources to cover a
Spanish program in grades
4-6 that provides Spanish
three times a week for 45
minutes. Our language
committee stressed the importance
of multiple exposures to language per week
in order for a program to be impactful.”
Board chair Paige Hiller said she will distribute the
language committee’s recommendations and parent’s
meeting remarks to the board and to elementary
school parents.
The next Windsor Central Modified Unified Union
School District Board meeting is scheduled for June
10 at the WUHSMS Teagle Library.
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