Conroe ISD to vote on ending dual language enrichment program

CONROE, Texas (KTRK) -- The Conroe ISD dual language program has students do all their subjects in English one day and Spanish the next.

Kids have to start in kindergarten. Parents told ABC13 that they moved to the district for this program, so they're gutted it may go away.

Through the enrichment programs for four years, parents said they've watched their children flourish.

"It's amazing how they can switch between languages and know which language to speak," Conroe ISD dad Mike Taylor said.

Taylor moved to the district specifically for the program, and he's been thrilled to see his children easily converse in English and Spanish.

Families can get in by applying for their kindergarten child, going through an interview, and finally, signing a contract with the district promising they'd keep their kids in the program for five years.

"We were all in, all in for the program. We made a commitment to them for five years, and it never occurred to us it wasn't going to be reciprocated," mom Christina Otto said.

This is not reciprocated because the district is deciding if they'll get rid of the program on Tuesday night.

"You're being hit blindsided," mom Jena Lara said.

In a statement from Conroe ISD, they cite declining enrollment in the 3rd grader program.

The district also says there is a need for bilingual teachers across the district, but bilingual resources are often diverted to the dual language program.

The district also has a budget deficit, and they expect to save $1.2 million by cutting the program.

But it's not just the possibility that the program could be gone but how families learned of it. The agenda was posted Friday, which is a district holiday; Monday was a holiday. Offices were closed, and parents couldn't reach anyone to ask questions about what was going on.

"No answers could be given, and zero communication with parents or students," Lara said.

Parents hope speaking out will at least lead the district to tabling the item, though some worry it's a done deal.

"I feel like they already made up their minds, but I hope when they see how important it is and how it's affected everyone and how great the program is, they'll reconsider," Otto said.

If the program is cut, it's unclear when it will end. Regardless, all the parents who spoke to ABC13 said they'd leave the district as the dual language program does.

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