LYNN — The Lynn School Committee voted against the proposal to require kindergarten teachers to obtain an English as a Second Language (ESL) license in order to teach in the Lynn Public Schools (LPS).
This proposal created controversy at the school committee meeting on March 11, but the vote ended in a tie, as school committee member John Ford was absent, so the issue was revisited at Thursday’s meeting. Ford’s “no” vote made the total 4-3.
This proposal, presented by Superintendent Patrick Tutwiler and the school district’s director of English Language Learner Education Rania Caldwell, resulted in two contentious meetings.
Tutwiler said the proposal is part of a plan to improve Structured English Immersion endorsement and the program structure in elementary service time, both of which LPS were cited on by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE).
Caldwell said that this plan allows English Language Learner (ELL) students to receive ESL services that are broken up between small groups and whole groups, allowing them to remain in the classroom and a part of the community.
Tutwiler said this plan focuses on the needs of kindergarten students, as many are not receiving the ESL support that they need.
Amanda Campbell, assistant director of English Language Learner Education, said the key thing about this model is that it would be providing an explicit block of English Language development to all students.
“If we build inexplicit connections for English learners and connect a cohesive structure across the day, we know our students will have many more opportunities to engage in language development,” she said.
Campbell highlighted the importance of ELL students being integrated in the kindergarten model.
“Those students would be missing out on some very valuable classroom time in terms of social skills and community building,” she said.
School Committee member Lorraine Gately held her previous position on this matter, stating that she doesn’t think there is enough information and data to support this plan and said the district should just hire more ESL teachers.
Caldwell informed the committee that there are currently three ESL coaches in the district, explaining that there will never be enough ESL coaches in the district to have one in each building. She said ESL is not an intervention, but a Tier 1 requirement just like mathematics.
Gately also suggested this requirement be made optional and advised a pilot program, noting that many educators have said they would be willing to participate in the certification process.
Committee member Brian Castellanos agreed with Gately’s points, as some educators nearing retirement have requested to be grandfathered in.
Tutwiler disagreed with the suggestion to make this optional to teachers, saying that in no other circumstances can the administration say “if you want to” regarding licenses.
“That is not going to effectuate the kind of change we seek around language acquisition,” Tutwiler said.
Castellanos expressed his frustration regarding the backlash he received from his previous vote against this proposal. He said he was personally attacked for his decision, while emphasizing that there is a lack of connection between the committee and the administration. He said the two need to collaborate and have common ground to work on this issue together.
Castellanos said he appreciates Caldwell and Campbell’s points, but said his phone is blowing up with concerns.
“We have folks telling me that you guys are lying,” he said. “I actually have an instructor saying that he has 11 Level 1 students this year that have not been serviced once this year, and that I was correct in research that you guys are not sharing the reality, and that EL’s are not supposed to be pulled out of the classroom.”
He said that while trying to be transparent in this process, there is a disconnect between the rank-and-file and the administration, noting that this is not the best way to roll this plan out.
Tutwiler responded saying he agrees that they need to work together to meet the needs of the children.
“This is creating a more divisive issue in the classroom,” he said.
Tutwiler highlighted this is a student-faced, student-centered proposal that offers a reasonable amount of time and support options for teachers to obtain the license.
School committee member Michael Satterwhite expressed his support for the plan, reflecting to when he became a School Committee member and made a promise to focus on every student, every day.
The committee ultimately voted against this proposal, restricting the administration from moving forward with it.
Committee members Satterwhite, Jared Nicholson and Mayor Thomas M. McGee voted in favor of the plan, while Castellanos, Gately, Ford and Donna Coppola voted against it.