Parents, teachers urge Chandler Unified to restore part‑time ELD teacher at Jacobson Elementary

Dozens of parents, former students and staff described Jacobson Elementary School’s English Language Development program as an essential support for recently arrived multilingual students and urged the Chandler Unified School District Governing Board to restore a part‑time ELD teacher position that the district reassigned.

Thirteen people spoke during the meeting’s public‑comment period on July 9, saying the position’s removal was driven by budget calculations that did not reflect Jacobson’s student needs. “Most of our ELD students come brand new to this country with very limited English proficiency skills,” said Allison Amparano, a fifth‑grade teacher at Jacobson. “The dedicated ELD support isn’t just a nice to have. It is essential.”

Speakers recounted families moving into Jacobson’s attendance area specifically for its ELD program and said the school regularly enrolls students with pre‑emergent or emergent English levels. Retired teacher Kimberly Christ, who said she taught ELD at Jacobson for many years, told the board the program has a strong reclassification rate and that families seek Jacobson because of that history. “How can you eliminate a program just because we got good at instructing our students into English proficiency and testing out of ELD?” she asked.

Several parents and family members — some speaking by written permission for relatives living abroad — described Jacobson’s ELD classroom as a small, safe setting that helped their children learn language and integrate into school life. A parent who said her daughter arrived with no English told the board that, without the specialized instruction and pull‑out support, her child would not have reached gifted programs and extracurricular successes she later achieved.

Teachers and staff representatives asked the district to consider factors beyond a single enrollment snapshot. Emily Halter, a third‑grade teacher at Jacobson, said ELD numbers “always fluctuate and increase throughout the school year,” and that a May total does not necessarily predict July or fall enrollment. Laurel Miller, president of the Educators Union, said the district’s decision was made by counting enrolled ELD students at a single point in time and urged the board to weigh projected arrivals and students’ English proficiency levels as well as historical program strength.

Speakers also described Jacobson’s international reputation, saying families in other countries recruit one another through social media and community networks because the school’s ELD program and staff are well known. Several speakers named Jan Johnson as a longtime ELD teacher whose reassignment to another school prompted much of the public concern.

Board members did not take any immediate action during the public‑comment period. The district’s budget presentation later in the meeting explained that staffing assignments were based on enrollment counts and staffing models; board members and staff described a process of reviewing site requests and weighing districtwide equity, programmatic need and available dollars. Superintendent Frank Narducci and staff said the district monitors enrollment trends early in the year and can make staffing adjustments if student counts shift.

Speakers asked the board to restore at least a part‑time ELD teacher for Jacobson for the 2025–26 year and to consider English proficiency level and midyear arrivals when assigning positions. The public‑comment speakers closed after roughly two hours of testimony; no formal motion regarding the Jacobson ELD position was recorded in the transcript.