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Parents and teachers urge Chandler Unified to restore part‑time ELD teacher at Jacobson Elementary
Summary
At the July 9 Chandler Unified governing board meeting, more than a dozen parents, teachers and former teachers urged the district to restore a part‑time English Language Development (ELD) teacher at Jacobson Elementary after the position was removed and the incumbent reassigned.
Dozens of parents, classroom teachers and retired district staff used the public‑comment period at the Chandler Unified School District governing board meeting on July 9 to urge the board to restore a part‑time English Language Development teacher position at Jacobson Elementary School.
The speakers said Jacobson serves a high concentration of students who arrive with very limited English proficiency and that removing the ELD instructor will harm students’ academic progress and social integration. "The dedicated ELD support isn't just a nice to have. It is essential to how these kids learn to understand lessons, actively participate, and meet the academic goals," said Allison Amparano, a fifth‑grade teacher at Jacobson.
Speakers described Jacobson's ELD population as widely multilingual and often arriving at pre‑emergent levels of English. Kimberly Christ, a retired 33‑year CUSD teacher, said she once counted 23 languages and students from 13 countries in a single year at Jacobson. Several parents and teachers said the school has a history of high reclassification rates (students exiting ELD after attaining proficiency) and that reclassification can come in large cohorts on a multi‑year cycle; they warned that counting only May enrollment underestimates need at the start of the school year.
Multiple speakers asked the district to consider at least reinstating a part‑time ELD teacher for the 2025–26 school year. Laurel Miller, president of the Educators Union, said Jan Johnson — the ELD teacher mentioned by several speakers — had been involuntarily transferred to Basch Elementary and that Jacobson should have a part‑time position returned "based not only on the current numbers, but the projected numbers and the English proficiency level" of incoming students.
Commenters emphasized that Jacobson's program also offers family supports and community stability, arguing the ELD class is a bridge for newly arrived families. Several speakers said Jacobson attracts open‑enrollment families specifically for its ELD program and asked the board to consider projected midyear enrollments and the school's typical incoming proficiency levels when assigning staffing.
The district did not take a formal action during the public‑comment period. After public comment the board moved on to the consent agenda and subsequent budget items.
Ending: Speakers asked the board to reconsider staffing assignments before the school year begins; no formal board decision about Jacobson's ELD position was recorded during the meeting.
