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District proposes adding kindergarten French DLI at Morningside site and hopes to attract out‑of‑district families
Summary
Staff proposed adding French DLI kindergarten classes at the Morningside site as part of a recommendation package and said a standalone DLI might attract out‑of‑district families; parents asked for data showing whether a new program would increase total district enrollment or simply shift students among schools.
Granite School District staff told a community meeting they plan to add kindergarten classes to a proposed French dual‑language immersion (DLI) program at the Morningside site if the recommendation to close Morningside as a boundary school advances.
"We want to attract out of boundary out of district specifically," Steve Hogan said when asked whether one objective of a standalone French DLI would be to draw students from outside the district. Hogan and other staff said the district has observed examples in other schools where a focused programming emphasis has increased enrollment and that they hope a DLI magnet-style program would add students to district rolls rather than merely shifting students among district schools.
What was proposed: staff said the Morningside site would be repurposed to host DLI kindergarten classes in addition to existing program elements, with the intention to grow the DLI over time. Staff pointed to a recent Spanish DLI example where a school’s program expanded after relocation and marketing.
Concerns raised: parents asked how the district would measure whether a new DLI actually increases total district enrollment rather than drawing students from neighboring Granite schools ("cannibalism"). Parents also asked for maps, current feeder data and projections showing where potential out‑of‑district students would come from, and asked whether adding a DLI and moving ALC would leave local neighborhood families underserved.
Next steps: staff said they will provide more detailed data about current DLI and ALC feeder patterns, and will post maps and distribution charts to answer questions about where students currently enrolled in ALC and potential DLI participants live.
Ending: Staff said the French DLI plan is part of the recommendation package and is a factor in capacity and enrollment modeling; final program decisions depend on board action and family choices.
