Parents, teachers and district officials spar over closure of Mountain Vista dual language program

Parents, teachers and district staff pressed the Coachella Valley Unified School District governing board on the planned closure of the dual language program at Mountain Vista Elementary, arguing the decision was announced too late and asking the district to pursue alternatives and better outreach.

The concerns came during the board's public-comment period, when several parents and teachers described their children's academic progress in the program and said they only learned of the closure the night before. "I'm here tonight because you guys decided to eliminate the dual language program at Mountain Vista Elementary," parent Elizabeth Cervantes told the board. "You should have met with the parents prior to making this decision."

The district's dual language coordinator, San Juan Alida, told parents the main reason the site program is being closed is "because it has low enrollment." Alida said the program began in 2021 with about 20 kindergarten students and that yearly cohorts have started smaller than the program's 24‑student target. She provided a current enrollment breakdown for the site: 22 kindergarteners, 21 first‑graders, 12 second‑graders, and a combined 11 third/11 fourth‑grade class (77 students total in the program across kindergarten through fourth grade). "By the time these students enter fourth grade, now they have 11 in the program," Alida said, explaining why the district finds the site program unsustainable.

Alida and other district staff described options earlier presented to parents: students could remain at Mountain Vista and enter Structured English Immersion (SEI) classrooms; the district can offer transportation to another dual language campus; or the district would provide summer interventions and teacher support to ease a transition to SEI. "For the students that do remain or choose to remain at Mount Vista, the plan that was developed was to support them as they transition into SEI," Alida said, describing proposed summer school intervention and teacher supports aimed at helping students access state testing by third grade.

Parents disputed the sufficiency of those options and pressed for more transparency and collaboration. "It's unfair to us as parents to have these children not be able to continue on in this program," said Julissa Lara, a Mountain Vista parent, who said her son is learning to read in Spanish and that transferring schools would disrupt his stability. Several parents raised concerns about transportation burdens, social-emotional effects of moving children between schools, and whether the district had explored recruitment and promotion to sustain the program.

Teachers at the site also criticized how the program was rolled out and resourced. Third/fourth‑grade teacher Adriana Carrillo said the program was not promoted to families as intended, that cultural components and curriculum materials were lacking, and that she had difficulty obtaining both curriculum and opportunities to meet with parents. "This program was not done correctly. It was not promoted correctly," Carrillo said. She added that she had been denied permission by Ed Services to hold an informational meeting for parents.

Several board members and Superintendent Dr. Esparza responded during the meeting. Trustee Valerie Garcia said the board had asked the superintendent for more information and urged staff to meet with parents. Trustee Sylvia Paz and other board members acknowledged the parents’ concerns about communication and expressed support for the dual language concept while noting budget and enrollment realities. Dr. Esparza said principals should lead first contact with families and asked the district to provide more data on enrollment trends and recruitment. "We need to do better at recruitment," Dr. Esparza said, adding that she personally supports dual language and is a product of a dual language program.

Board members repeatedly requested a more detailed review and suggested a study session on dual language program planning and resourcing before final decisions are implemented. Trustee comments included calls for a phased transition if a program were to close and for including parents in planning. "I do request that maybe we have a study session on the dual language program," Trustee Paz said during board remarks.

The board did not vote on any action to close or save the Mountain Vista program during the meeting. Board members directed district staff and the superintendent to meet with Mountain Vista parents, share enrollment data and the site transition plan, and return to the board with additional information. The district also described ongoing districtwide outreach (a kindergarten roundup and visits to elementary sites) intended to educate families about dual language and boost enrollment.

The debate highlighted operational questions the district must settle to pursue dual language at scale: how many cohorts per site are needed to sustain classes through fourth grade, how the district will resource curriculum and teacher professional development, whether to consolidate dual language students into an academy model at some sites, and how to provide family outreach and recruitment. San Juan Alida suggested starting dual language "from the bottom up, and I started with two kinder classrooms at each school site" at previous districts to grow cohorts to sustainable sizes.

Parents and teachers asked for clearer timelines and a collaborative process. Board members said additional materials and a formal study session on district dual language planning would be scheduled so the board and community could review options before changes take effect.

Ending: The district provided enrollment figures and a draft transition plan to parents at a meeting the night before the board session and reiterated the same options at the board meeting. The board asked staff to meet with Mountain Vista families and to return with further information and potential next steps. No final administrative action to close or modify the Mountain Vista program was recorded at the meeting.