St. Charles CUSD 303 board votes to shift multilingual model, approve smaller Richmond addition and retire Davis mobiles

ST. CHARLES, Ill. 97 The St. Charles CUSD 303 school board on Monday approved a revised plan to move the district away from its one-way dual-language program and toward an in-class transitional bilingual education (TBE) model and a collaborative TBE model, and rescinded an earlier plan for a six-classroom Richmond addition. The motion passed 6-1, with Board Member Mister Lackner voting no.

Board members and district staff said the change is intended to standardize curriculum and increase program supports while reducing reliance on temporary classrooms at Davis Elementary. Dr. Gordon, the district superintendent, told the board that the conference of staff and administrators believes the new model will better align instruction and assessment across schools.

The vote rescinded the earlier grade-level configuration that would have housed the dual-language program at Richmond and directed staff to implement an in-class and collaborative TBE model instead. The board91s revised plan also calls for retiring six mobile classrooms at Davis beginning with the 2025-26 school year and for a smaller set of facility improvements at Richmond to add flexible instructional and office space.

Why it matters: District administrators said the proposed models aim to put multilingual students and their teachers on the same curricular and assessment cycle used across the district92making it easier to plan, monitor and share supports. Parents and staff urged caution, saying changes risk uprooting students in the district91s Access program (a program that serves students with autism and other significant needs) and called for clearer timelines and guarantees before any additional moves.

District…