Parents and educators urge Judson ISD to preserve Wortham Oaks Spanish immersion program amid budget talks
Summary
Multiple parents and program representatives asked the Judson ISD board to keep the Wortham Oaks Spanish immersion program, request grandfathering for current students, and provide a clear cost-benefit analysis before any elimination; speakers warned of enrollment loss and cited a five-year program commitment.
Several parents and program representatives urged the Judson Independent School District board on Monday to preserve the Spanish immersion program at Wortham Oaks Elementary, saying the program produces strong academic results, attracts families to the district and that currently enrolled students should be grandfathered if the district reduces offerings.
"The more we cut, the less prepared we are academically," said Dr. Sherry Thomas of the Spanish immersion program at Wortham Oaks, quoting a remark from a prior board meeting. Thomas told trustees that removing the enrichment program "would be lucky to remain a D rated district," and raised promissory-estoppel concerns tied to a written five-year program commitment she said families relied on.
Courtney Walker, a parent of three students in the program, asked the board to provide a transparent cost-benefit analysis showing how much the district would actually save by ending the program and proposed alternatives such as tuition, targeted fundraising, sponsorships or grants. "I simply ask for the opportunity to collaborate before an impulsive decision is made to end this valuable program," she said.
Other parents emphasized student progress and family involvement. "My daughter has thrived," said Dr. Lucerio, identifying herself as a parent and physician, noting her child avoided special-education placement after entering the immersion program. Isidro Garza, introduced from the audience as Mr. Garza, spotlighted demographic context, saying, "In Texas, I think it's 28%. And in San Antonio, it's 35%," to argue the program fits local language needs; he also asserted—without district documentation—that adding or removing enrichment programs could affect overall performance by an estimated 15–20%.
Several speakers asked that current students be "grandfathered" so those already enrolled can complete their five-year commitment; parents said the immersion classes show strong parental participation and fundraising. Board members did not respond with a decision during public comment.
The record shows the board previously increased immersion class size to 25 to address low early enrollment, but speakers questioned how much savings that change produced and said district savings from eliminating the program were not specified during public comments.
Next steps: the board moved on to a scheduled TASB trainer and later adjourned into closed session to review a newly released financial-solvency document; when they reconvened, the presiding officer reported that no final action or vote had been taken in closed session.
