Following a revote held by teachers at Lakeridge Elementary, the Mercer Island School District will move forward with an elementary Spanish program at each of the Island’s four elementary schools next fall.

Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano said he made the decision after a majority of teachers at three of the district’s four elementary schools for the 2016-17 year showed support for the program. According to Plano, over 70 percent of Lakeridge teachers supported the program in the school’s revote on March 1. The program also drew staff support at Island Park and from the core team for Northwood Elementary in the initial round of voting.

“I am making the decision and I’m making it with an ear to hear [the teachers’] concerns and mitigate them as best we can so that we can put Spanish in all four schools,” Plano said in a phone interview with the Reporter.

Plano told school board members at their regular meeting March 22 the district hired two of the four teachers for the program, with one being an existing language-qualified teacher at Lakeridge.

During public comments at the board’s previous meeting March 10, three Island teachers explained why elementary Spanish wasn’t widely supported during the first vote. Mercer Island Education Association (MIEA) president Mike Radow told the board “the original vote was over 60 percent opposed” from district-wide elementary staff. He added with Lakeridge’s revote, the results came out to “about 50-50.”

“Only by breaking it down by building did the advisory vote show any type of majority of ‘yes’ votes,” Radow said.

He also intimated during his comments that anticipation or fear of being ostracized among staff members for not wanting elementary Spanish may have influenced the Lakeridge revote.

West Mercer kindergarten teacher Veronica Golden said staff at her school was not opposed to a world language program, but did have concerns regarding some of the details.

“The teachers at West Mercer were concerned about the amount of upheaval and resources going to the world language program that was aiming for exposure, not necessarily fluency,” she said. “We already have a lot of great resources given to us by the district, such as support in the implementation of our new literacy program, tech TOSAs [and] a whole brand new school to help with overcrowding. We wanted to be sure that we are effectively and efficiently using those resources before adding the additional opportunities afforded by a world language program.”

Island Park teacher Susan Hamp said while West Mercer may appear the lone school opposing elementary Spanish, there were “significant numbers of other staff members at the other schools who also had reservations” about the program.

“One of the biggest concerns for staff members at Island Park was that we understood that most of the money being used for the world language program is being provided from the two-year state budget to reduce K-3 class size,” Hamp said. “The question many had was, ‘Is this the best way to spend the money to reduce class size and improve student learning?'”

Hamp said those opposed would have preferred the funds be used for smaller class sizes or more support for existing programs within the district. Both Golden and Hamp closed by saying Island teachers would rally behind and support implementing elementary Spanish.

Plano addressed the three speakers, saying he agreed more staff and more dollars are needed in the education system. He pointed to his prior campaigning for legislative initiatives and supporting the Schools Foundation’s fundraising efforts.

“I have decided that it would be very divisive to have one school not be afforded the program and the three schools be afforded the program,” Plano said, adding he planned to work with the MIEA to address any workload concerns.