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Lubbock ISD: small drop in emergent bilingual students; district outlines supports and teacher-certification steps

Lubbock Independent School District Board of Trustees · December 12, 2025
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Summary

Bilingual/ESL coordinator Sarah Garcia reported a modest drop (~80 students) in identified emergent bilingual pupils for 2025–26, described newcomer classes, dual-language programs at three campuses, teacher waiver reductions (119→77) and new instructional supports including a 'Boost' newcomer reading program.

Sarah Garcia, coordinator for bilingual and ESL programs, briefed trustees at the Dec. 11 workshop on program data and supports for emergent bilingual (EB) students.

Garcia said the district’s EB count fell by about 80 students compared with previous reporting; the October data snapshot showed roughly 1,100 students receiving ESL services and about 600 students in dual-language programs housed at Harwell, McWhorter and Bean. "It's the first time I've seen something like this where we've dropped numbers of our emergent bilingual students," Garcia said, noting the drop was about 80 students based on October reports.

She described newcomer classes across middle and high schools and targeted elementary newcomer offerings, summer bilingual/ESL programs that more than doubled in participation year over year, and a district-provided ESL academy to help teachers obtain ESL certification. The district filed annual ESL waivers for RLA teachers without ESL certification: 119 waivers last year versus 77 this year, a decline Garcia said the district wants to continue reducing.

Garcia also highlighted curricular supports: the district replaced Imagine Learning with a new 'Boost' reading program for newcomers and continues family literacy classes at McWhorter. Trustees asked about waiver limits and certification timelines; Garcia said TEA recently added requirements but presently there is no statewide limit on the number of times a teacher can receive a waiver.

What happens next: Administration will continue dual-language committee work to refine program models for the 2026–27 year and monitor waiver counts and certification progress for RLA teachers.