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Winchester board approves expansion of dual-language immersion program
Summary
The Winchester School Board approved expansion of its dual-language immersion program, adding a kindergarten cohort at Corals next year and kindergarten-plus-first grade at John Kerr the following year; the board approved the motion by voice vote.
The Winchester School Board approved expansion of the district’s dual-language immersion program at its Feb. 24 regular meeting, voting to add a kindergarten immersion classroom at Corals next school year and to add kindergarten and first-grade immersion at John Kerr the following year.
The board voted on a motion to approve the expansion; Ms. Burrow moved the motion and Ms. Harris seconded. The board approved the motion by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
The administration described a two-year rollout intended to avoid staggered cohorts when students move into intermediate grades: Corals would open a kindergarten immersion classroom first, with John Kerr adding kindergarten and first grade the next year so those students would align when they enter Danny Morgan Intermediate.
Staffing implications were noted: each added immersion classroom requires a certified teacher, so the rollout will create at least one kindergarten teacher position at Corals next year and an additional kindergarten/first-grade teacher position at John Kerr the year after. The board discussed staffing and clarified that the district would convert an existing classroom to a Spanish immersion classroom at each site rather than add an unrelated type of class.
Board members and staff spoke in support of the expansion as a pathway to bilingualism. The presenters and board members described the program goal as developing students who are “biliterate” — able to speak, listen, read and write in both English and Spanish — and noted the long-term aim of producing graduates with formal biliteracy skills.
The approved motion directs the administration to proceed with the schedule and staffing outlined in the presentation and to return to the board with any necessary personnel or budget requests tied to the rollout.
No ordinance, statute, or funding measure was voted on at this meeting in connection with the expansion; the motion covered program approval, implementation timeline and staffing direction.
