DLI families urge retention of middle-school immersion as administration recommends phased change and 12-month review

Scores of families and students packed public comment at the Virginia Beach School Board meeting to urge the preservation of Dual Language Immersion (DLI) through middle school. The administration presented two alternatives and a set of cost and staffing analyses; it recommended allowing current cohorts to complete the existing programs at Great Neck and Lansdowne for 2026–27, phasing out new sixth‑grade entrants beginning in 2027–28, and taking 12 months to gather additional enrollment and staffing data before implementing a final plan.

In public comment, student speaker Madeline Massey said the two‑way immersion model challenged students and produced stronger language and academic outcomes. "I am the product of the one-way system that is being proposed in option 1," Massey said, and warned that Option 2 "is not an option" for families who chose the district specifically for DLI. Multiple parents described relocating to DLI school zones, criticized late changes to the Option 1 slides that introduced a contingency on staffing, and called the district's $156,200 cost-delta between Option 1 and Option 2 unclear. Parent Alberto McCallis asked why staffing and funding contingencies were being discussed two weeks before a planned vote.

Administration's presentation (Dr. Danielle Colucci, chief academic officer, and Kelly Arbel, world languages coordinator) described two options for the 2027–28 school year: Option 1 would consolidate all feeder elementary DLI students to a single DLI middle site at Virginia Beach Middle School where students would take immersion Spanish plus at least one core content class in Spanish (likely math or science). Option 2 would not maintain a designated DLI middle school and would instead offer immersion Spanish courses at students' zoned middle schools (in-person or via distance learning). The administration provided a comparative cost table: continuing the two-site middle model is the current baseline; Option 1 was estimated at about $156,200 more than the current program (but less than the previously board‑approved expansion), while Option 2 projected savings of roughly $97,900 versus current costs. The team also noted staffing challenges: vacancies and provisional licensure among Spanish-endorsed teachers limit reliable program staffing, and visa/work-authority issues affect recruitment for some bilingual hires.

Administration recommended: (1) continue Great Neck and Lansdowne DLI sites through the 2026–27 school year and allow current 5th–8th graders to complete the existing program; (2) phase out the current designated middle DLI sites for new entrants beginning in 2027–28; (3) stop plans to expand DLI to additional middle schools; and (4) spend the next 12 months collecting more data (staffing, enrollment interest, transportation impacts) and convening stakeholder engagement to produce a final recommendation in 2027.

Board members pressed for clearer language on what the board would be asked to vote on at the next meeting and requested harder HR numbers (applicants vs. qualified candidates) and a single, consolidated recommendation on the record. Administration confirmed the DoDEA (Department of Defense Education Activity) grant supports the program but is not the sole funding source; the division received a five‑year DoDEA grant in 2021 and was awarded another in 2025 (awarded through May 2030) to supplement program costs.

Why it matters: The proposed changes would affect travel times, program fidelity, and continuity for students in the DLI pathway. Parents asked for phased options that would preserve current cohorts' ability to complete middle school immersion without forced mid‑program relocation. Administration said any Option 1 or 2 implementation would remain contingent on available staffing, funding, and student interest.

Provenance: Public comment excerpts and administration slides and Q&A were cited during the presentation and in multiple subsequent board questions.

Next steps: Administration will gather additional information over the next 12 months and return with a single, clearer recommendation for board consideration. Board members urged the administration to provide written motion language and HR application/qualification statistics prior to a vote.