Cache County board keeps Spanish DLI at South Cache, approves up to four years of busing

Cache County, Utah — The Cache County School Board voted 5–1 Thursday to accept Superintendent Todd McKee’s recommendation to keep the secondary Spanish Dual Language Immersion program at South Cache Middle School and provide up to four years of district-funded busing for families affected by boundary changes.

McKee told the board he and district staff examined multiple options — including keeping the program at South Cache, splitting the program between schools, hybrid/remote instruction, retaining sixth grade at elementary schools, and relocating the program — and concluded that retaining South Cache while offering transitional transportation “most directly address[es] the concerns we are hearing around access and transportation” and was the most cost-efficient, sustainable choice.

The decision followed public comment from parents who urged the district to prioritize continuity for DLI students. Heather Holmes, a DLI parent, asked the board to finish answering outstanding questions about the South-end DLI options and raised a safety concern about a proposed after-school bus that could leave students waiting as long as 30 minutes. Holly Johnson, another parent with long involvement in the DLI program, urged the district to consider hiring a single teacher (an estimated $85,000 salary) to keep the program physically closer to families, saying that would avoid large reassignments and preserve the program pipeline.

Board members weighed trade-offs including staffing availability, cost, equity across different DLI language programs, and the operational complexity of splitting or relocating programs. Trustee comments noted the need to balance the specific needs of Spanish-speaking families with wider district equity concerns for all students and staff. One board member said the four-year busing window gives the district time to tweak solutions if needed.

Alan Gunig moved the motion and it was seconded; the board adopted the superintendent’s recommendation by a 5–1 vote. The district will implement the busing program for up to four years for those families who would otherwise lose reasonable access to Spanish DLI. Details about routes, schedules and exact eligibility were not specified in the meeting and will be determined by district transportation staff.

What happens next: District staff will work on the operational details of the busing plan and any necessary communications to affected families before registration and the start of the next school year.

Quotes

“My recommendation is for the board to approve retaining the program at South Cache while providing up to 4 years of busing for the families that are impacted in Nibley,” Superintendent Todd McKee said.

“It’s a huge safety concern that needs to be considered if this is an option before a vote takes place,” parent Heather Holmes said of a proposed after-school bus plan.

“No solution was perfect, but this, I believe, best balances out our responsibility to the district as well as being responsive to the needs of parents,” McKee added.

Sources and provenance

The account above is based on public comment (Heather Holmes SEG 856; Holly Johnson SEG 901), Superintendent Todd McKee’s presentation and recommendation (SEG 1199–1275), board discussion (multiple SEG lines through SEG 1405), and the recorded motion and vote (SEG 1427–1441).