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Elkin City Schools gives year‑5 update on Dual Language Immersion; kindergarten lottery set for April
Summary
District staff told the board the DLI program will enroll 18 kindergarteners for 2025–26 and run a virtual lottery April 10; the update covered program structure (90/10 in K–1), staffing (five teachers, two TAs) and plans for a CDM pathway to earn high‑school Spanish credit.
Elkin City Schools presented a year‑five implementation update on its Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program, with administrators saying the program will enroll 18 kindergarten students for 2025–26 and use a virtual lottery on April 10 to assign the remaining 11 seats.
The presenter (speaker 13) told the board that 66 families are registered for kindergarten district‑wide and that 25 families have indicated interest in the DLI kindergarten; seven of those families already have a child in the program and therefore are guaranteed placement. She said 18 students will enter the lottery for 11 available class seats and that parents will receive private lottery numbers on April 7 and a Zoom link for the live lottery so names are not disclosed publicly.
The presenter summarized the program model: kindergarten and first grade operate on a 90% Spanish/10% English immersion schedule; second grade uses a 70/30 model; and grades 3–5 transition to a 50/50 Spanish/English split. She said the district currently employs five DLI teachers and two teacher assistants and will interview candidates for a sixth DLI teacher on April 2. The presenter said, "It doesn't cost more than" regular kindergarten, and pledged to provide the board a detailed cost breakdown on request.
Administrators also described curriculum planning for transition beyond elementary: the district is developing a credit‑by‑demonstrated‑mastery (CDM) pathway so DLI students who demonstrate competency could earn Spanish 1 — and possibly Spanish 2 — credit before high school. The presenter cautioned that details for middle‑school placement and advanced coursework hinge on the final decision about where sixth grade will be housed.
Board members asked the presenter to supply enrollment breakdowns (in‑district versus out‑of‑district) and additional financial detail; the presenter said she would provide those numbers after the meeting. The board approved, by motion, a separate request that current kindergarten students be permitted to stay home on a single screening day so staff can conduct mass kindergarten screenings without disrupting classes.
The board agreed to continue work on DLI program decisions — including potential limits on out‑of‑district kindergarten admissions — and to revisit policy and staffing questions as recruitment and lottery outcomes become clear.
