(Seguin) — Rumors about the future of the dual language program at Seguin ISD’s Rodriguez Elementary have sparked concern among parents, many of whom say they were upset to learn about a possible move before receiving any official communication from the district.
But district officials say that’s because no decision has been made.
The topic was presented as an informational item during a recent meeting of the Seguin ISD Board of Trustees. During the meeting administrators outlined a proposal that could eventually relocate the dual language program currently housed at Rodriguez Elementary to the newly constructed McQueeney Elementary School. Patlan and Koennecke Elementary schools are the two other campuses currently offering the dual language program.
The whole idea, however, remains in the early discussion stage.
Robert Arriola, Seguin ISD’s director of multilingual education, says the presentation was meant to begin a conversation and share possible long-term options for the district’s bilingual and dual language programs.
“This is a good thing, said Arriola. “We’re growing. We have to look at where programs sit and how lines get redrawn to make that better.”
The district currently serves approximately 540 students in dual language programs at Rodriguez, Patlan, and Koennecke elementary schools.
Rodriguez alone has about 171 plus students enrolled in the program.
So why McQueeney? Arriola says the discussion comes after a demographic study presented to the district in February showed that enrollment growth in McQueeney has been slower than originally projected.
He says McQueeney Elementary, which is set to open this fall, will have significantly more capacity than the current campus.
Arriola says McQueeney currently has about 311 students. If all current Rodriguez dual language students were moved there, enrollment could rise to approximately 532 students.
“That puts McQueeney at a good number of students,” said Arriola. “We have the capacity for it, and there’s actually more room to grow.”
He added that relocating the program could help the district better utilize the new campus “while centralizing resources and staffing.”
Chiming in on the long-term vision for the program was Superintendent Dr. Jack Lee. Dr. Lee says the district is also exploring the possibility of eventually consolidating all dual language programming into one dedicated campus.
“What we are looking at is trying to figure out what the best options are,” said Lee. “A dual language academy campus would make the most sense.”
However, Lee says such a change would likely be two to three years away and would require significant planning.
“That’s not anything that would happen immediately or even in the next couple of years,” said Lee.
Meanwhile, trustees and administrators acknowledged that moving the program could create challenges for families.
They say if Rodriguez students were reassigned to McQueeney, some parents might choose not to send their children to the new campus due to transportation concerns. In those cases, students could return to their home campuses and transition into traditional classrooms rather than dual language instruction.
Lee says another concern is that siblings could end up attending different schools.
“We’re trying to be very cognizant of this,” said Lee. “That’s why we’re presenting this as an informational item. We’ve intentionally not made any decisions because we’re trying to find out what the best possible decision is.”
Lee says any major program shift would likely need to be considered alongside future attendance boundary adjustments.
“As we look at Koennecke and Vogel having much higher numbers, we’re going to have to talk about attendance zones over the next year,” said Lee.
For now, district leaders stress that no formal action has been taken and no timeline has been established.
Again, district officials the board presentation was intended to provide trustees and families with information as district officials study possible ways to improve enrollment balance, staffing efficiency, and long-term support for dual language students.