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Parent says Spanish‑immersion expansion left Myers‑Wilkins overcrowded and lacking promised district support
Summary
At a Sept. 16 ISD 709 listening session, a parent urged Duluth Public Schools to address overcrowded, windowless classrooms and deliver promised resources after the Spanish immersion program expanded to Myers‑Wilkins from Lowell.
At a Sept. 16 listening session of ISD 709 Duluth Public Schools, parent Sarah Keenan told the school board that the district’s expansion of the Spanish immersion program to Myers‑Wilkins has left students in more crowded, sometimes windowless classrooms and that promised district support has not yet been provided.
Keenan, a parent of three children enrolled in the Spanish immersion program, said the program’s split between Lowell and Myers‑Wilkins requires “intentional planning and additional support from the district” to preserve peer‑to‑peer learning opportunities. “With the program split across 2 schools, opportunities for cross school collaboration requires intentional planning and additional support from the district,” she said.
Why it matters: Keenan framed the issue as one of equity, safety and instructional quality. She said at least one Myers‑Wilkins classroom now has no windows and that Minnesota Department of Education criteria identify natural light as part of classroom adequacy. Keenan urged the district to complete a facilities assessment, deliver the resources the district promised in January 2025, and hold meetings so families and staff can provide feedback.
Details Keenan provided included that the Lowell campus had been experiencing overcrowding, and the district’s response—to split the immersion program across two schools—has moved students into “even more crowded classroom conditions than ever.” “It is not a sustainable solution to simply push the overcrowding problem from 1 pinch point to another, specifically at the expense of our Myers Wilkins Spanish immersion students,” she said.
Keenan asked the board to prioritize the promised resources, provide “a meeting or listening session to families and staff to hear from the school about how things are going,” perform a thorough assessment of facility conditions and space usage, and provide “transparent and consistent communication with families with opportunities for feedback and collaboration.”
The remarks were offered during the board’s public listening session; the transcript shows no board action or vote on the items Keenan raised. The session closed after her comment.
The district’s January 2025 statement that it would provide support to families, the program and both schools was cited by Keenan; she said the resources described in that statement “appear to have not yet been delivered,” but added that timely district action could still make the expansion successful.
No board member comments, motions or formal responses to Keenan’s requests are recorded in the listening‑session transcript.
