Walnut Creek parents urge Mount Diablo USD to pause Bancroft Spanish dual-immersion phase-out; council says it cannot act tonight

Dozens of parents and community members told the Walnut Creek City Council on Feb. 17 that Mount Diablo Unified School District’s decision to phase out the Bancroft Spanish dual-immersion kindergarten program with less than two weeks’ notice is causing harm and confusion.

“We moved to Walnut Creek specifically and purchased a house close to the school for this Spanish dual immersion program,” said Elizabeth Silva, identifying herself as a Bancroft parent. “Now Mount Diablo Unified School District is taking that away from us immediately without any involvement of our community.”

Parents presented a petition with more than 400 signatures and asked the city to send a resolution or formal letter urging the district to pause the change pending transparent analysis and community engagement. Jessica Lee, another Bancroft parent, said the district’s description of a “phased transition” did not match what families were being told and that some current kindergarten or TK families were being told they could no longer access the Bancroft immersion pathway.

Speakers described the decision as rushed, said the district did not reach out to Bancroft families before announcing it, and said no impact analysis or outreach plan had been shared with parents. “We are asking for a pause, time for transparency, meaningful community engagement, and thoughtful collaboration to find a solution that works for all families,” said Melanie Gagliotti, a parent with two students in the program.

Council members thanked the speakers and said they were sympathetic but limited in what they could do at tonight’s meeting. The city attorney and city manager told the council that, under the Brown Act and council rules, the council cannot take formal action on items not agendized for the meeting. The city attorney advised that a formal council resolution could not be adopted this evening but that individual council members may write letters in their personal capacities and that members of the public should continue engaging with the school board at its next meeting on Feb. 25.

Council member Silva suggested parents contact state and regional elected officials as well; a representative for Assembly Member Anna Marie Avila Farias was in the audience and noted an upcoming housing town hall (March 12) but did not commit to a formal action on the school issue.

Mount Diablo Unified School District’s decision and the district’s stated rationale were described during public comments but the district did not present the matter to the Walnut Creek City Council tonight. The council’s guidance to residents was procedural: continue to engage the district’s process, seek to have the district agendize the issue for public comment at its Feb. 25 meeting, and use the administrative appeals and complaint channels available through the district.

The council did not vote on any resolution concerning the Bancroft program at the meeting; speakers were told the Brown Act prevents the council from acting on non-agendized items during this session. The city clerk posted written comments received up to two hours before the meeting to the city website and they are part of the public record.

Next steps: the Mount Diablo Unified School District board meeting on Feb. 25 and the kindergarten/TK enrollment deadline on Feb. 27 were identified at the council meeting as near-term opportunities for parents to press for a pause or additional review.