Covington nonprofit Esperanza urges more bilingual staff, family integration and mentorship to support Latino students

Esperanza, a Covington‑based Latino center, told the Covington Board of Education that the district needs more bilingual staff and intentional family‑engagement strategies to support Latino students.

Miss Coleman, representing Esperanza, summarized a year of community engagement and data gathering and said interpretation alone does not meet Latino families’ needs because interpreters cannot provide cultural context or ask clarifying questions. She urged the district to hire bilingual staff, expand integration supports for parents unfamiliar with U.S. schooling, and reduce the burden on children who sometimes act as interpreters for their families.

Coleman described social and safety concerns that limit family participation in after‑school activities and highlighted Esperanza’s mentorship program, which last year had 18 active bilingual mentors supporting Latino students. She also said Esperanza partners with ReadReady and Kenton County Public Library for early literacy and promotes career exploration and Spanish‑language programming that helps Latino students see postsecondary opportunities.

Coleman reported Esperanza saw 62 cases last year of children separated from parents because of deportations; she said many U.S.‑born children are left to care for younger siblings and require trauma‑informed supports in schools. A board member asked whether those 62 cases were in Covington specifically; Coleman said the cases were regional but that most impacted Covington families.

Board members thanked Esperanza and noted opportunities to collaborate on teacher pipelines, bilingual recruitment and family‑focused events. Members discussed exploring how allocations and staffing could be adjusted to reflect the district’s EL population and asked staff to consider how the recommendation of a 1:15 EL assistant ratio would compare with current funded ratios.