District pauses opening of international newcomer center after one qualifying student identified

District staff updated the Curriculum Committee that the planned international newcomer center has been paused for the 2025-26 school year after current enrollment did not meet projections.

A staff presenter said the district had recommended opening an international newcomer center to serve students who speak languages other than English or Spanish. Doctor Rita Guzman provided an enrollment update: "as of the beginning of the school year, as of last week, we only have 1 student currently identified as a newcomer English language learner other than Spanish and English." Guzman said world conditions have changed and that the district—s projected numbers did not materialize.

Because only one qualifying student is currently identified, Guzman said the district has paused opening the center and has reassigned the staff who had been allocated to the center: one teacher, two teacher aides and a social worker were reassigned to other assignments. Guzman said the district created a newcomer protocol to ensure newcomers will still receive support and that enrollment will be monitored and evaluated by quarter to determine whether the center should open later in the year.

Committee members asked whether the 22 students shown in the presentation for K–2 were projected or final numbers. A committee member was told those were actual end-of-enrollment numbers from the prior period; Guzman said the district had originally projected those would carry into the new school year but they did not.

Staff emphasized the pause is an operational decision driven by current enrollment; no policy change was made at the meeting.