Hudsonville review finds Spanish dominant; committee recommends caution before expanding in-person language offerings

Assistant Principal Delia Bush presented the work of a committee that reviewed the district’s world language program and five‑year enrollment trends. “Spanish continues to be the most popular,” Bush said, summarizing the committee’s finding that Spanish enrollments remain high while German and Chinese drop off after the second year.

The committee traced the trend in part to middle‑school scheduling changes that expanded elective options; those changes reduced the share of students who continued a language sequence into high school. Bush said committee members reviewed past work and local practices and concluded that expanding in‑person elective language offerings now would not be financially or operationally sustainable given current enrollment patterns.

Board members and administrators discussed alternatives, including offering low‑enrollment languages through online or blended models, combining sections, or monitoring immersion programs in neighboring districts (Rockford, East Kentwood) as examples. One board member suggested the district could revisit expansion if local demand or feeder patterns change; another asked the district to pursue partnership data from immersion programs in nearby districts to understand long‑term yields.

Next steps: the district will continue to monitor enrollment year to year, consider nontraditional delivery (online or blended) for low‑enrollment languages, and factor language offerings into master scheduling and staffing decisions. The committee did not propose immediate expansion of in‑person courses.