RSU 5 board hears pleas to keep full‑time high school ESOL teacher as district projects lower multilingual enrollment

Freeport — The RSU 5 board of directors heard more than an hour of public comment and staff analysis on Feb. 5 as the district proposed eliminating one of three ESOL positions for the 2025–26 school year, a recommendation driven by declining multilingual‑learner enrollment.

Parents, teachers and students told the board that a full‑time ESOL teacher at Freeport High School provides academic, social and emotional support that testing numbers do not capture. “Multi language programs are a powerful asset in a school, in any school,” parent Stephanie Lutinke Sarris said, calling the program “a blessing” for families new to the United States.

The board’s instructional staff presented enrollment data and scheduling options. Instructional support lead Alicia (last name not provided) told the board the district’s October 1 count for the current year showed 46 multilingual learners and that the projected October 1 count for next year is 37. She said some students now on the roster may be placed on “monitor/exit” status after the spring WIDA testing, which could reduce the number further to about 31. Based on those projections, the administration said the district can meet legal requirements and students’ services with two ESOL teachers next year by sharing teachers across buildings and scheduling service blocks at the high school and elementary schools.

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