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Hardy County Schools board hears EL briefing: 160 active English learners, 20 languages represented
Summary
Jennifer Stotteman told the Hardy County Board that 160 students were active EL learners at the Oct. 1 count, with 21 monitored under federal guidance; the district said Title III funds (~$36,000) can pay for materials and training but not full-time EL teachers.
Jennifer Stotteman, the district EL presenter, told the Hardy County Board of Education on Feb. 3 that the district had 160 active English Learner (EL) students and 21 monitored students based on the Oct. 1 count.
She said the county’s EL population speaks more than 20 languages, including several tribal dialects from Guatemala, Ecuador and Honduras, and that many EL students also have Individualized Education Programs. “As you can see, when we talk about active and monitored, a student in EL is monitored when he or she would test out on the ELPA test, show that they are proficient in English,” Stotteman said, explaining the federal requirement that students who test proficient be monitored for two years.
The briefing outlined proficiency levels: roughly 8% of the EL cohort tested proficient on ELPA, 64% are classified as emerging and the remainder fall in other categories. Stotteman said the district uses a mix of instructional models — pull-out, push-in and sheltered instruction (SIOP) — and has four certified EL teachers plus part-time EL interventionists who provide intensive, pull-out instruction for lower-level learners.
On funding, Stotteman told trustees that the district’s Title III allotment — approximately $36,000 — “can be spent on supplies to support EL instruction, professional development to train teachers, and EL supports for summer or after‑school,” but “it cannot be spent on any personnel to teach EL during the school day.” She said the county also receives community support for translation services and that a local partner funds translation and some after-school EL work.
Stotteman outlined action plans to expand EL professional learning during the school day and to include countywide teacher training tied to “coffee talks,” a series of after-school training sessions that are already drawing non‑EL teachers. She said district leaders will include additional EL professional learning time in next year’s county plan.
Stotteman also summarized Department of Education guidance in the event of immigration-enforcement visits: school staff should route agents to the superintendent to verify warrants and allow attorneys to review paperwork before determining the district’s legal obligations. “If someone from ICE comes to the schools at this point in time, they will be directed to the superintendent to verify and confirm exactly what paperwork documentation they have,” she said.
The presentation closed with trustees asking follow-up questions about monitoring, testing and how EL students are counted for state assessments; Stotteman said county EL staff will continue to monitor progress and return with additional details as benchmarks are completed.
The board did not take formal action on EL policy during the meeting; the item served as an informational update and included plans to add county-level professional learning time for EL supports.
