Board hears extended public hearing and trustee discussion on Petaluma Accelerated Charter School Spanish program

The Petaluma City Schools Board of Education held a lengthy public hearing and discussion on Tuesday on the future of world language instruction at the Petaluma Accelerated Charter School (PACS), with parents, staff and district administrators urging changes to how Spanish is offered and asking the board for more time to develop a plan.

Parents and staff who addressed the board said the current Spanish program has not delivered consistent outcomes and that the school should not ask students to enroll in a course they do not trust. "School starts August 13, and the clock is ticking," said Susie Starkey German (commenter), urging the district and PACS leadership to clarify teacher assignments and provide transparent outcomes before families make elective choices. "If the current Spanish teacher is returning next year, most rising eighth graders will opt out if given the option," she said.

Sarah Sharp, a parent and bilingual resource specialist at McDowell and McNair elementary schools, told trustees that world language is "a core academic subject" and urged the board to preserve or strengthen access to Spanish, saying language learning supports cognitive flexibility and long-term opportunity. "We should be uplifting the value of Spanish language development, and expanding, not limiting access to world language classes," Sharp said.

Other parents said the program has been…