Southwest ISD reports 2,956 emergent bilingual students; files waivers for 2024-25

Southwest ISD presented its annual bilingual and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) program evaluation for the 2023-24 school year on Tuesday, reporting enrollment, program distribution and staffing waivers required under Chapter 89.

Belia Torres delivered the mandated update, saying the district served 2,956 emergent bilingual students across 18 campuses (11 elementary, four middle and three high schools), representing about 21% of the district's student population. The district reported offering 12 dual-language programs (nine elementary, two middle and one high school); other campuses operate ESL programs with pull-out or content-based instruction.

Torres summarized academic progress monitoring across the language domains (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and described professional development in 2023-24, saying about 1,311 participants attended sessions on English language development, assessment frameworks and biliteracy instruction.

On staffing exceptions, the report said the district filed three waivers in the previous year (at Sun Valley, Big Country and McAuliffe) and that those teachers subsequently earned certification. For the 2024-25 school year, staff told trustees they will file waivers effective Nov. 1 for one bilingual teacher and 49 ESL waivers at the secondary level.

Trustees asked clarifying questions about school-by-school breakdowns and testing-level targets; staff said campus-level details were available and would be provided to trustees. The presentation referenced Texas Education Agency reporting requirements (Chapter 89) and the district's use of STAR and MAP data for progress monitoring.

The board did not take a separate vote on the evaluation; it was presented as the required annual report.