Dist. 73 to spend $250,000 on ineffective program

Like many school districts, Hawthorn Elementary District 73 is looking at ways to balance its budget for the 2012-2013 school year. The district administration also strives to ensure the students receive the most academic benefits. To this end, the superintendent proposed to discontinue the Spanish Exploratory program. (The School of Dual Language, an immersion Spanish program, would remain.)

The Spanish Exploratory program is in the elementary buildings. Children receive one 40-minute Spanish lesson a week taught by an instructional aide. The administration, staff and parents as well as the board of education agree the program is ineffective. At the March 12 board meeting, the board agreed to put the “ineffective” Spanish program on hiatus until a better program was found. Board members, however, changed their minds that same night because they were “afraid that once the program was gone, it would be difficult to bring it back.” (Keep in mind, this same board would be charging themselves the task of getting Spanish back into the schools.)

The time currently spent in the program was scheduled to be used by teachers for further academic instruction. On April 25, the Hawthorn staff was informed that the board mandated that the Spanish Exploratory program be continued for the 2012-2013 school year and taught by certified staff. Five new teachers would be hired at cost of $250,000. That’s right, a quarter of a million of taxpayer dollars spent on an ineffective program.

Not only is it costing the district a lot of money, but it’s also costing our children needed time in the classroom. And why? Because the board doesn’t have enough confidence in itself to get Spanish back. How sad that the taxpayers and children have to pay for the incompetence of the board.

They have failed us once again.

Susan Jones

Mundelein