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Parents and teachers warn reorganization will weaken bilingual services; administration pledges compliance work and external audit
Summary
Public commenters criticized a budget-driven reorganization that shifts biliteracy coaches and a curriculum specialist out of the Department of Multilingual Multicultural Education; administration described a district-wide tiered literacy approach, pledged federal compliance work and announced a Council of the Great City Schools audit.
Speakers at the committee meeting—parents, bilingual educators and union representatives—expressed strong opposition to administrative changes that move biliteracy coaches and a curriculum specialist out of the Department of Multilingual Multicultural Education (DMME). "This decision...represents a dismantling of decades of intentional work," said Lucern Nandez, who cited the district’s history with an Office for Civil Rights investigation and said centralized oversight of multilingual services is essential to compliance and program quality.
Jennifer Santiago, an MTA member and school-based educator, reiterated those concerns and urged the board to retain biliteracy coaches and curriculum specialists under DMME supervision, saying that multilingual enrollment is increasing and that district leadership structures matter for program fidelity.
Administration response: Jennifer Mims (Chief Academic Officer) and Gabriel Jimenez (Deputy Chief Academic Officer) explained that the district has been reorganizing to embed bilingual supports across academic teams and to ensure tier-one instruction in two languages where appropriate. They said the office is prioritizing high-quality instructional materials, translated family communications, and federal reporting requirements. Jimenez emphasized an instructional approach tied to the science of reading and said the district is working to increase bilingual-licensed staff across subject teams.
Accountability and audit: Administration announced a June 3 stakeholder session to discuss bilingual programming and said the district has arranged for a Council of the Great City Schools audit this fall to review programming, compliance and recommendations for instructional supports and staffing structure.
Next steps: Administration will hold the June 3 information session for multilingual stakeholders, continue compliance work on federal reporting, and receive the external audit in the fall. Public speakers asked the board to preserve DMME leadership and ensure biliteracy positions maintain direct reporting to the department.
