Morgan Hill Unified School district has dual-immersion and an independent study charter in mind.
On Wednesday Jan. 18 at Nordstrom Elementary, the community will get information regarding a possible dual-immersion program. Hilaria Bauer, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction, said the meeting is just to see if families are interested in a possible program.
“This is something that needs to be meticulously planned and strongly supported,” she said. “It’s a big commitment on the part of the families and we need to have enough families interested.”
It could be a nine-year commitment, for kindergarten through eighth grade, or a K-6 program. Bauer said they have no specific school sights in mind yet and what to hear what the community has to say before planning logistics.
The dual-immersion program will be for both native English and Spanish speakers, with an even 50 percent of each population represented, to teach bilingualism and make literate in both English and Spanish with an even split of classes taught in both languages. The point is for both to learn from each other, said Bauer.
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“The program design depends on the resources available and the teacher expertise,” said Bauer.
Wednesday’s meeting will also include a panel discussion from Gilroy Unified School District parents who have had students that go through dual-immersion programs in Gilroy. This is the first of several meetings on the topic that the district will host, said Bauer.
Today, the school board will also vote to approve a contract of no more than $10,000 for Collaborative Solutions for Charter Authorizers, a service that provides coaching and professional development on the potential creation of an independent study charter school.
In April 2011, MHUSD held a special meeting study session to discuss three different charter school options for the district: a cyber high school, a professional development school or a dual-immersion school. The board decided to focus on bilingual immersion and the teaching school options.
Wednesday Jan. 18
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Nordstrom Elementary School, 1425 East Dunne Ave.
Multi-purpose room
