The Manitowoc School District Curriculum & Instruction Committee on an advisory vote recommended that the full school board approve adopting the LingQ online platform for middle‑ and high‑school French and Spanish and to expand a sixth‑grade introduction to world language using the same platform.

Committee members and teachers said LingQ offers a more interactive, standards‑aligned approach than traditional hardcover textbooks and would allow the district to use a single platform across grade levels. Jess Swemke, department chair and high‑school Spanish teacher, described the work behind the proposal and its alignment to proficiency levels: “We’ve the last number of years, we’ve been working on our curriculum and aligning them, to proficiency levels.” Molly Johnson, middle‑school Spanish teacher and department chair, said the vendor’s responsiveness and support were a factor: “I’ve been working with our rep. Her name’s Sarah. She’s been wonderful. Messaged us all night long. Any questions we have, she gets back to us immediately.”

The committee discussed license length, final cost, and how parents and the community would review course materials. Presenters said the district is seeking a six‑year agreement because that term fits the district’s curriculum adoption cycle; the longer term also included professional development and course‑alignment services. Committee members were given multiple price figures during the discussion: district staff described a rough comparator of “about $40,000 each year for both Spanish and French licenses” when describing the vendor discount structure, and later quoted a vendor estimate of about $141,000 for a six‑year license that would cover 940 student licenses. Staff also said an earlier planning figure of 1,200 subscriptions had been used as an estimate while enrollment and participation numbers are finalized.

Several committee members pressed staff to supply final enrollment counts and a clear pricing breakdown before the full board vote. One committee member said, “I will not vote yes unless I know the price,” noting that quoted totals and subscription counts had varied during the discussion. Staff acknowledged that exact counts were still being finalized and that licenses could be adjusted up (additional students could be added) but would not be refunded if counts were reduced after purchase.

Teachers and staff highlighted several implementation details: the district can customize the platform to follow its scope and sequence; vendor materials include interactive activities for all modes of communication; staff requested a demo link and said they would supply bound syllabus/roadmap documents for parent review. Presenters also said the district planned a pilot and that middle‑school sixth graders would receive introductory units in both French and Spanish.

The committee moved and seconded a recommendation to the full board to approve the LingQ adoption package. After brief final remarks the committee voted in favor; no opposing votes were recorded.

Next steps include finalizing student subscription counts, confirming the exact vendor quote and license terms, and placing the recommendation before the full Manitowoc School District Board for formal action. Staff said they will provide a demo link and sample syllabi for parent and board review prior to the full board vote.

Ending: The recommendation advances to the full board with several follow‑up items requested by committee members: a definitive price and license count, demonstration access for the public, and course syllabi showing the district’s scope and sequence.