Parents urge board to pause phase‑out of Bancroft Spanish dual‑immersion; trustee says partial continuation possible

Dozens of parents, students and community advocates told the Mount Diablo Unified School District board on May 13 that the planned phase‑out and relocation of Bancroft Elementary’s two‑way Spanish dual‑immersion (TWDI) program would harm families and disrupt a long‑standing, high‑performing program. Public commenters said the decision felt sudden and that the district’s stated rationale — school overcrowding or space constraints — did not match publicly shared enrollment data.

At the start of public comment, Natalie (last name on file Rodriguez) said her family moved into the Bancroft boundary specifically for the TWDI program and that splitting her children across schools would be “devastating.” Elizabeth Silva told the board she had moved to Walnut Creek for Bancroft’s TWDI program and called Bancroft “the longest‑running two‑way dual immersion program in the district” and “high performing.” Kate Turnstell and other parents repeatedly asked the board to pause the phase‑out and conduct a demographic impact study before shifting enrollment or locations.

Parents and students said the program draws families districtwide and argued that program location, staff and community ties matter to its success. A parent speaker distributed enrollment figures showing “space in every monolingual class” and said TWDI is a lottery program under district control, challenging the district’s crowded‑school justification.

Jorge Silva described organized advocacy efforts: parents have taken the issue beyond the campus, meeting with county and state advocates and pressing for legislative remedies. He said the Contra Costa County Democratic Party issues committee voted unanimously to oppose elimination without a demographic impact study and that supporters were backing AB‑2332, legislation to create a statewide dual‑immersion coordinator.

Students addressed the board directly. A second‑grader said she loved learning Spanish at Bancroft and worried the move would prevent her younger brother from attending. Speakers said the announcement had already led at least one teacher to leave.

Trustee Lawrence acknowledged the community’s concerns and said he believes the district is within its rights to move a program between sites but recognized the community impact. He proposed bringing a motion at the next board meeting to continue a single kindergarten TWDI class at Bancroft for one year restricted to Bancroft residents and siblings of Bancroft students, while placing non‑resident applicants at Woodside. Lawrence said the continuation would be subject to staff assessment of feasibility and sufficient enrollment and would be evaluated after the year.

District staff did not present new enrollment projections or a demographic impact study during the meeting. Board members and staff repeated commitments to bilingual programs overall; none announced a final reversal of the relocation. The board did not take a vote on a pause during the May 13 meeting.

The board’s next meeting is the likely forum for Trustee Lawrence’s proposed motion and any staff report on feasibility or impact. For now, parents said they will continue community outreach and legislative contact while pressing the district for greater transparency and data on site capacity and program placement.