Board rejects shared Spanish‑teacher resolution with Argyle, directs superintendent to seek alternatives

The Pecatonica Area School District board declined to approve a one‑year intergovernmental agreement to share a Spanish teacher with the Argyle School District, voting against the resolution on a roll call reported as 0–7.

Board members said they were sympathetic to Argyle’s staffing struggles but raised multiple concerns about how splitting the position would affect Pecatonica students’ access to world‑language instruction, scheduling conflicts, and program continuity. The proposal, as presented, would have had Pecatonica serve as fiscal agent and the teacher remain on Pecatonica’s contract while teaching at Argyle for part of the day.

The superintendent explained the draft schedule: the teacher (named in materials as Jamie) would teach at Pecatonica through the fourth period, take lunch and travel time, then teach at Argyle after noon, with prep periods at both districts. Board members questioned whether that arrangement would leave middle‑school students without earlier language exposure and whether the travel, calendar differences and class loads would undermine Pecatonica’s Spanish program.

Miss Gordon, the district’s Spanish instructor, told trustees she was willing to help a neighboring district in a staffing pinch but cautioned that teaching two different districts with different levels, calendars and program models would be “a lot of undertaking” and could diminish the district’s ability to provide instruction at critical grade levels. Several trustees said they feared losing Spanish sections for middle‑grade students if the teacher’s time was split.

Trustees discussed alternatives, including hosting Argyle students for instruction at Pecatonica, running a virtual or hybrid class from Pecatonica for Argyle students, capping the number of out‑of‑district students, or exploring transportation options. Board members and staff noted Argyle’s board had already approved the agreement; Pecatonica’s vote was required for the shared fiscal arrangement.

After the resolution failed, the board voted unanimously (7–0) to direct the superintendent to reopen talks with Argyle and explore other arrangements — including a trial virtual option for introductory Spanish, limited student transport, or capped in‑person enrollment — and to report back with proposals that preserve Pecatonica students’ program access.

The meeting packet included the resolution language and a one‑year term (07/01/2025–06/30/2026). The board’s directive to the superintendent does not itself approve a sharing arrangement; any new proposal would return to the board for final approval.