Duluth district says moving six Spanish-immersion classrooms from Lowell to Myers Wilkins eased overcrowding and changed school demographics

Assistant Superintendent Bonds and Director of Elementary Schools Brenda Sparks told the Duluth Public Schools board’s Committee of the Whole on Oct. 1 that relocating six Spanish-immersion classrooms from Lowell Elementary to Myers Wilkins this school year met the district’s goals of relieving overcrowding, increasing neighborhood access to immersion and making progress on integration targets.

Sparks said the move reduced Lowell’s enrollment by 149 students and added the same number to Myers Wilkins, and she described the change as a deliberate effort to “balance enrollment.” She told the board that Lowell’s current enrollment is about 485 students and Myers Wilkins about 462, numbers she said are “more on par” with nearby schools.

The transfer also shifted student demographics at Myers Wilkins, Sparks said. Free-and-reduced-price meal status among the school population dropped from 86.5 percent to 56.9 percent after the relocation; the percentage of students identified as nonwhite decreased from 65.8 percent to 43.4 percent; and special-education representation fell from 41.8 percent to 29.4 percent. Sparks noted Hispanic enrollment rose modestly, which she attributed to the program itself.

"We balanced enrollment with this move, which we did," Sparks said. "With that integration of 150 kids we were able to change the demographics of the whole school." Assistant Superintendent Bonds praised principals and teachers for executing the relocation.

District data presented at the…