Superintendent recommends placing Spanish dual language middle school cohort at South View

Superintendent Dan Bitman told the board May 11 that administration recommends placing the Spanish dual language (SDL) sixth‑grade cohort at South View Middle School to preserve a teaming model and maintain elective access for students.

Bitman said a comprehensive report — developed with curriculum experts, middle‑school administrators and community input — shows current SDL enrollment by grade and outlines program models. “If we were to place this program at Valley View Middle School, it would be extremely difficult to maintain that teaming model…[and] it would have a negative impact on the number of exploration or elective courses,” he said.

Nut graf: The recommendation prioritizes student experience and continuity of instruction — including two core classes in the target language at middle school — but administration acknowledged tradeoffs, including space constraints and family impacts for a subset of households.

The report shows roughly 182 SDL students in the elementary pipeline, with about half forecast to feed to South View and half to Valley View. Bitman said 15 families would face sibling placements at different middle schools under the proposed assignment and that staff would work individually with those families to accommodate needs. “We want to be really thoughtful about how we place our different students,” he said.

Board members thanked administration for the thorough report and asked for ongoing family engagement and transition planning. Dr. Barry asked whether the district will provide onboarding to welcome students; Bitman confirmed that planning will include family engagement and regular board updates. The board is scheduled to vote on the recommendation in June.