Schenectady outlines plan to launch dual-language program, expands ASL and world-language offerings

Leah Kalea, assistant director of world language for the Schenectady City School District, told the board on April 9 that the district will launch a two-way Spanish dual-language kindergarten program in fall 2026 and expand related supports across grades in subsequent years.

The presentation described a multi-part strategy: grow world-language options (including a newly added American Sign Language course), expand English as a New Language (ENL) staffing and co-teaching models, and begin a phased dual-language bilingual education program at Paige Elementary Community School that would eventually extend through grade 12. The district also described curriculum work, recruitment plans, a lottery-based enrollment approach and ongoing community outreach.

District staff said the goal is to increase bilingualism and close achievement gaps. "We are really, really excited to present to you this evening on world language, ASL, English as new language, and our newly anticipated dual language bilingual education program," Kalea said at the start of the presentation.

Staff described current world-language offerings and uptake. Cecily Carr, the district’s ASL teacher, said ASL enrollment this year is 142 students and that the district is participating in establishing ASL standards for New York State. "Our current enrollment this year is 142 students," Carr said. Sarah Scott, district ENL department chair, said the district has increased ENL co-teaching and professional development and reported growth in students eligible for ENL services; she said the district’s seal-of-biliteracy program expanded from five successful candidates in 2022–23 to 12 this year.

Officials said the district currently records more than 500 English learners and 21 home languages across K–12. Kalea summarized planned program models: existing ENL services, a transitional bilingual Spanish program (Spanish-language arts for grades 9–11 beginning fall 2025), and the dual-language two-way immersion 50/50 Spanish–English program beginning in kindergarten in fall 2026 at Paige Elementary Community School. "The program will allow both English speakers and Spanish speakers to become fully bilingual, biliterate in an equitable and inclusive environment," Kalea said.

Paige Elementary Community School Principal Dr. JP described why Paige was selected as the initial site, citing the school’s multicultural activities, staff language capacity and student performance data. "We're prepared to welcome our students in fall 2026," Dr. JP said.

Staff said the dual-language model will be a 50/50 two-way immersion program that intentionally balances instruction in English and Spanish across subjects. Miss Vasquez, a Paige teacher, said the district expects elementary dual-language classrooms to start with about 20 students (roughly 13 English learners and 7 non-English-learner students) as the program phases in and to use a lottery process for enrollment. Officials said the state’s Part 154 requirement (which they cited as a New York State requirement) played a role in timing programs where 20 or more students in a grade level can trigger a bilingual/transitional bilingual program requirement.

Staff identified near-term priorities and constraints: hiring certified bilingual teachers and curriculum vetting. The presenters said district leaders are working with consultants (Dual Language Connections and the Multistate Association for Bilingual Education) and developing Spanish-language arts curriculum for grades 9–11 to begin in fall 2025, while the full K–5 dual-language rollout will begin in fall 2026. On staffing, Kalea said the district has hired teachers for Spanish-language-arts classes at the secondary level and continues recruitment for bilingual elementary teachers, noting certification challenges.

Board members asked about transportation, enrollment logistics, community outreach and marketing. Staff clarified that students accepted into the dual-language lottery would be assigned to Paige and bused there, rather than being bused for individual classes from their home schools. On outreach and marketing, staff said heavier community engagement would occur after budget and logistics decisions later this spring and into the summer so enrollment can open in spring 2026.

Officials also described extensions of ENL practices, including co-teaching models and a district tool in Infinite Campus that displays a family's preferred communication language for staff. Sarah Scott said the district increased ENL teachers presenting professional development and noted momentum behind the seal-of-biliteracy program: "It is a grand accomplishment because they do have to prove, proficiency in all 4 modalities...not just English."

District staff acknowledged challenges: recruiting certified bilingual teachers, finalizing curriculum choices, and budgeting for marketing and building-specific branding. They said many planning items will be budget-dependent and that additional details on logistics, lottery, and busing will be provided before enrollment opens.

The presentation concluded with board praise and encouragement to continue community engagement and staff training; multiple board members thanked presenters for the multi-year planning work and emphasized the program’s potential to support multilingual students. The ELL/world-language presentation preceded the district’s budget update at the same meeting.

Ending

Staff left the timeline and next steps focused on hiring, curriculum development and community outreach, with the district planning to begin kindergarten dual-language enrollment in spring 2026 for a fall 2026 start. Specific details on the enrollment lottery, final class counts, marketing budget and complete staffing plans were described as "still being finalized" by staff and to be communicated during the summer and at future board meetings.