Spring-Ford to add second regional ELD site at Upper Providence Elementary under four-year plan

Spring-Ford Area SD board members heard a presentation Jan. 27 outlining a planned expansion of the district's elementary English language development (ELD) program that would create a second regional site at Upper Providence Elementary and phase in services over four years.

The proposal, presented by Dr. Robin Moyer and Dr. Tina Giambattista, would split the district's two regional ELD sites so Brook Elementary continues to serve Brook, Limerick, Evans and Royersford and Upper Providence Elementary would serve Upper Providence, Spring City and Oaks. "We are about a 185 K-to-4 elementary ELs," Moyer said, adding the district identifies about 350 K-to-12 students as English learners. The presenters said the change responds to a recent increase in multilingual students and aims to restore smaller instructional group sizes.

District officials said the current model centralizes K-4 ELD instruction at Brook Elementary, where ELD teachers hold both elementary and language certifications and provide sheltered instruction and small-group language arts instruction until students' language levels allow full inclusion. "These students are pulled into smaller classes for language arts until their language levels get to a certain place," Moyer said. Students continue to take math, science and other specials with their regular classrooms.

Under the plan, implementation would be phased: year 1 would move the cohort currently in Brook kindergarten who are next-year first-graders to Upper Providence (presenters estimated this would affect about "8 students"). Phase 2 would add the next cohort as students matriculate, and the district said it expects a full K'0 continuum at both sites by the end of the 2028-29 school year for grades K-4. Officials said newly registering students in the two service regions would be assigned to the appropriate regional site going forward.

Next steps listed by administrators include a communication plan for families with language support, a curriculum and resources survey, a professional-development plan for Upper Providence kindergarten and first-grade teachers, and further staffing analysis. On staffing and cost, administrators said moving currently enrolled students should be cost-neutral because building allocations and ELD funds would follow students, but that any decision to expand to a full extended ELD day or to hire additional staff would create new costs. "There's definitely going to be a cost down the line," Moyer said; district staff also noted Title III allocations for ELD will affect available funding but are not finalized until later in the budget cycle.

Board members asked about potential effects from other district moves (for example, returning fifth grade to elementary buildings) and about the timeline for costs and staff development. Dr. Katie Gardy, identified in the presentation as the district's human-resources director, said professional development could be accommodated through in-service time or summer training and that the district would explore MCIU contract supports for training to minimize additional expense.

Officials emphasized the phased approach is intended to limit disruption for families and preserve the program's small-group model. Administrators also said they will consider whether there is demand for an extended ELD day in future years.

The presentation was informational; the board did not take formal action on the proposal at the Jan. 27 meeting.

Ending: District staff said they will begin written communication with families and gather additional cost and staffing details before returning to the board with concrete implementation steps.