Chandler schools: language specialists moved based on need

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

Kimberly Christ said she and other Chandler Unified teachers and parents are “devastated at the removal” of a part-time language specialist position at Jacobsen Elementary School.

Chandler Unified leadership said that’s not a fair representation of a set of school-year staffing changes and assignments this summer.

Before CUSD students went back to school July 17, Christ, a retired 33-year teacher, and others came to a Chandler Unified governing board meeting to address changes with staff in English language development.

“How can you eliminate a program just because we got good at instructing our students at English-language proficiency?” Christ asked. “That’s not how you promote professionalism.”

But the specialist, Jann Johnson, mentioned by a handful of people who spoke has simply been assigned to other campuses, district officials told Independent Newsmedia.

Dr. Korry Brenner, CUSD’s director of federal programs, said all Chandler students get English-language development if they need it.

“Schools are required to provide ELD for all students whose primary language is other than English,” Brenner said. “And we provide it at all our of schools. No student has to travel anywhere to get it.”

Brenner said Arizona only funds 2.5 ELD specialist teacher positions for CUSD, while the district has chosen to fund 18 during the past school years. That still stretches most specialists between at least two of Chandler’s 49 sites.

Brenner said only 12 of CUSD’s elementary schools have a full-time ELD teacher for targeted small-group services.

Dr. Jennifer Fletcher, CUSD’s assistant superintendent for pre-K-12 student services, said assignments of ELD teachers to each campus are based on need. The district does its best each spring and early summer to allocate ELD teachers to campuses likely to have the greatest needs, though the start of school in July often brings surprises in terms of site demographics.

“We understand there are relationships built, and a campus that’s built a sense of community that’s successful, wants to keep a team together,” Fletcher said. “We also have to look at (English) proficiency levels, especially by the end of a student’s third year in ELD, and we look at movement each year.”

One element that’s not surprising is how Jacobsen, a school located in south Chandler near Intel and other tech company facilities, has among the most international composition of any CUSD elementary school in terms of number of home languages.

District-wide, CUSD students speak about 63 unique home languages, reports state.

One parent, who praised the way Jacobsen’s reputation for its strong ELD program extended beyond U.S. borders, pointed out the enrollment of “very pre-emergent” (beginner) English speakers at Jacobsen tends to grow as the school year rolls along.

Fletcher said the 18 certified teachers can be reassigned to different campuses during the year, as they’re contracted with the district, rather than a site.
She said all such moves — both prior to and during a school year — aren’t made in a vacuum, or by one administrator.

“Each of these decisions goes through multiple iterations of leadership,” Fletcher said.

Assistant Superintendent Mike De La Torre said the district looks at natural attrition through resignations and retirements when recalibrating ELD staffing needs, but flexibility is important. One site has 200 students with ELD needs this year.

Fletcher said while it’s understandable for students and families to want to stick with innovative teachers and other educators with whom they’ve seen success, administration must trust entire evolving teams to be both creative and effective.

She said one of the reasons Jacobsen has earned an international reputation for ELD success is that Johnson is a talent surrounded by other talent.

“We’ve seen multiple teachers be successful at multiple sites,” she said.

We invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this topic. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.   Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org.

INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.