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Board weighs foreign-language graduation requirement and schedule change for middle grades; staff to return with December recommendation
Summary
Board members and staff debated how to implement an anticipated state foreign-language graduation requirement, focusing on adding a period and schedule changes for grades 6–8 to preserve exploratory options and accommodate hiring constraints; staff said detailed proposals will return in December.
The Central CUSD 301 Board discussed a potential change to graduation requirements that would require two years of foreign language and reviewed staff recommendations for schedule changes to accommodate that requirement.
District curriculum and administration staff emphasized logistical constraints: scheduling structure, room and staffing capacity, and the human-resources lead time needed to post and hire language teachers. Staff recommended prioritizing changes for sixth, seventh and eighth grades by adding an additional period and adjusting middle-school schedules so exploratory and CTE options are preserved while ensuring language instruction can be offered.
Staff noted Spanish staffing is at capacity and that German teachers have limited capacity; they urged the board to decide early if the district should expand staffing because postings ideally should go out by February to compete with peer districts for hires. "If we could solve that problem for our middle schools...we could come back in December and say this is what sixth, seventh and eighth grade would look like," staff said.
Board members requested a concrete recommendation and timeline. The administration agreed to return with more detailed scheduling scenarios (focused first on grades 6–8) at the December meeting so the board can consider a decision with hiring and registration timelines in mind.
