State releases grant to Diamond Lake schools
State funding for non-English-speaking students in Diamond Lake District 76 has been released, the result of an aggressive push and help from some friends.
Changes in how non-English speakers are placed in classes will have to be made, but the agreement with the state board of education leaves the District 76 teaching model intact, according to Superintendent Roger Prosise.
"We do have to make some changes though we don't have to change our program," he said.
The district expects to receive the money anytime, though it may be slightly less than the original amount.
That's good news for the Mundelein district, which had a $175,000 grant withheld by the state because it has been in violation of the school code because it didn't offer bilingual education.
District 76 was in violation of state law because it practiced "sheltered English," in which English is the main classroom language supported by Spanish. The rules say that if a school has 20 or more students from a particular language group, instruction must be provided in the native language.
The district argued there weren't enough bilingual teachers to meet the requirements and said its Hispanic students were thriving under its system. Those arguments were backed by other districts.
"Every Lake County superintendent supported District 76," Prosise said.
Matt Vanover, a spokesman for the state board of education, said there never was anything prohibiting District 76 from pursuing its program, but that it needed to adhere to state rules.
"We've been working with the district to ensure they are in compliance," he said. Instruction in a native language for students that need it hadn't been in place but will be, he added.
"We have to do a better job of following the criteria," Prosise agreed. "When we placed kids, particularly at Fairhaven (School), we looked at class size, and class size shouldn't be a factor."
The district will give separate tests to kindergartners through eighth-graders to determine whether they need to be in a full- or part-time bilingual program. Instruction will be provided in the native language so children understand content, he added.
"It could mean we may have to hire another bilingual teacher," Prosise said.
The District 76 situation has sparked interest from several area legislators and others who believe bilingual education as defined by the state should be optional.
The board passed a resolution to that effect, asking state lawmakers to change the school code. The resolution has been distributed to all other Lake County school districts.
How the District 76 situation was created and whether that could be modified needs to be examined, said state Rep. Kathy Ryg of Vernon Hills.
Discussion of possible changes in the school code in the area of bilingual education is relevant, Ryg added, given that the federal government will not accept the state's alternative math and reading tests for English language learners.