Warren Township committee proposes staffing, curriculum changes to serve 28+ languages

The Warren Township High School District 121 board on May 27 heard a yearlong report from its multilingual innovation committee proposing new staffing and program changes aimed at serving more than 28 languages in the district.

The committee presented a set of recommendations that include hiring two multilingual lead teachers (one per campus) for 2025–26, adding two paraprofessionals per building, converting EL resource time from a duty period to a teaching assignment, expanding ELL literacy sections and creating a staff “playbook” for family communication and translation services.

The recommendations are intended to expand access and mainstream long‑term English learners into general education while maintaining required English‑language services. Dr. Moran, a member of the multilingual innovation committee, said the group’s aim was clear: “We wanted to make sure that we did not have a language barrier in our educational system here.”

Why it matters: District staff and teachers told the board that changes are meant to address distinct needs among newcomers (recent arrivals with limited English) and long‑term English learners (students in EL programs for six or more years). Committee members said the district currently serves…