www.crookstontimes.com

School board wants new ESL teacher to be fluent in Spanish

By Mike Christopherson, Managing Editor
The Crookston School Board on Monday OK'ed the addition of an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Crookston High School. With one ESL teacher currently at Highland, the move would double the district's ESL staff.

But in approving the new position, board members strongly recommended that Highland Principal Rita Hoff, who coordinates the district's Title I programs, find an ESL teacher that speaks Spanish. With most of the ESL and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students in the district of Hispanic heritage, board members said hiring an ESL teacher that's fluent in Spanish only makes sense.

That's easier said than done, Hoff said. Not only is finding a licensed and certified ESL teacher difficult, finding one who speaks Spanish will be even tougher. Even before the board stressed the need for a Spanish-speaking teacher, Hoff said she'll likely have to receive a state variance to hire someone who's "working toward" ESL licensure or "has training" in ESL and LEP instruction. "It's almost impossible to fill some of these positions (without a variance)," she said.

When the state grants a variance for a teacher, the district is required to lay the teacher off at the conclusion of the school year and search for a licensed teacher that needs no variance.

Board member Susan Mills said it's important that the new teacher speak Spanish.

"It's important to the position, and it deserves a lot of extra effort in that direction as this position is advertised," she said. "It's that important of an issue, to have someone who speaks it and has that cultural background."

Hoff said approximately 85 students are served by the ESL and LEP programs. The state data count puts the number of students needing those services at 134, she added. Most of them are Hispanic.

By reducing the hours of one teacher aide position, the district has enough federal Title I funds to cover the salary of the additional ESL position exclusive to CHS. Because of growing ESL and LEP numbers and the district's poverty index, Hoff said more federal dollars in the areas of ESL and LEP are available.

"We looked at all these factors and determined that the biggest need was at the high school," Hoff said. "There are testing issues and attendance issues that are critical to address. We need students staying in school and passing their classes. Language issues can really interfere, especially when they get to the higher-end coursework."

Coordinator hired

The board approved the hiring of Ione Swenson as the district's curriculum/staff development/assessment coordinator. Staffing in those areas had been reduced in years past due to budget constraints, with teachers Jim Kent and Gary Stegman picking up the slack.

Swenson currently works for the Minnesota Department of Education in the area of data research and No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress issues, Superintendent Ralph Christofferson said. She earned her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of North Dakota, he said, and has a son in the sixth grade.

Swenson was in Crookston for registration day last week and met a lot of teachers and staff, Christofferson added.

Board Chair Doug Oman said hiring a coordinator in the areas of curriculum, staff development and assessment has been a long-sought goal of the board since the budget outlook started to improve.

"This was a conscious decision and I think there's been unanimous support for it on this board all along," he said.