District 68 Expresses Concerns Over State-Mandated Bilingual Administrative Position

Several school districts in DuPage and Cook counties will meet with state superintendent, Christopher Koch, Monday to discuss a state-mandated administrative position the districts have had trouble filling and would rather not have on their payrolls.

Woodridge School District 68 will be represented in this meeting, although no officials will be present.

Under Illinois Administrative Code 228, each school district that has 200 or more bilingual students must employ an ELL (English Language Learner) program administrator who fits two main state certification requirements: a type 75 administrative certification and a bilingual certification.

These requirements were put in place in 2008. Districts were given until July 1, 2010, to find someone who fits such a description to head their ELL programs.

Many districts haven't filled the position given the small pool of candidates, said Peg Agnos, executive director of LEND, a grassroots legislative organization representing school districts in DuPage County. The districts also take issue with several aspects of the requirement.

A major point: districts are already struggling financially and hiring another administrator will only take money away from student instruction.

“Bilingual funding has been reduced dramatically,” Agnos said. “If you look at what districts are spending, and to now have to bring in an administrator, all it does it chop away at the money available for actual instruction.”

Districts also question whether the position would make any difference to the success of their bilingual programs, several of those are currently succeeding without such an administrator, she said.

The issue doesn’t just pertain to DuPage, Agnos said. Districts from across the state have contacted LEND to hear what comes out of Monday’s meeting.

Woodridge School District 68 does not have a program administrator currently employed, although the district exceeds the 200-student benchmark. District 68 has a little more than 500 bilinguals students this year who speak 47 different languages.

Dr. Cathy Skinner, assistant superintendent for personnel for District 68, said the district posted a listing for the job online and has interviewed candidates for the position, but so far, no one has been found to fill it. The District 68 is part-time for the full school year.

“Bilingual applicants are far and few between, especially quality ones,” Skinner said. “They might not have what we’re looking for. They might not be the best match. Each district has its own unique culture and make-up. We want to make sure we have the right person.”

While the district has tried to fill the position, it has voiced its concerns with the requirement in three meetings with nearby districts, Skinner said.

District 68 Board of Education Member Thomas Ruggio said the problem with the mandate is that it is out of touch with how districts are already running their ELL programs.

“The issue with the mandate is that nobody bothered to investigate to see what districts were doing with bilingual students,” Ruggio said.

The district’s bilingual success makes the new administrative position seem unnecessary, he said. Dr. Rebecca Surber, District 68 assistant superintendent of curriculum, currently oversees the district’s bilingual program.

“Our groups have continued to keep up pace with regular education students,” Ruggio said. “We have all our groups making AYP, so we’re meeting the needs of our population in Woodridge. Yet now we have a mandate handed to us not to hire teachers to oversee the program but an administrator.”

Skinner said the position might make sense for a larger district, but not for District 68.

“Big districts do have (an administrator) and have had them in place, but smaller ones really don’t,” Skinner said. “In Elgin, they’ve always had a bilingual director and two assistants below. We’re talking 41,000 students, and they’re bilingual population is 5,000.”

District 68 isn’t alone in its concerns, Agnos said. LEND surveyed school districts around the state about the position. A few questions came up, she said.

“First, what will it matter one way or another in terms of services being delivered to the students?” Agnos said. “Especially in smaller districts, if they have a really good director of programs, and it’s going really well but (the director doesn't) have these credentials, the director is conceivably ineligible to direct the program.”

The financial piece was a hot topic, as well.

“For some districts, even though they can comply, it’s a huge amount of money they have to take from actual instruction, from materials and classroom instruction,” Agnos said.

She said there’s also a question if the state has the right to make that requirement based on current statutory language. “We don’t think it is consistent with current statutes,” she said.

Agnos and District 68 officials said they were optimistic about the meeting with Koch.

“We’re thrilled about the meeting,” Agnos said. “It’s been a long time coming...We look forward to continuing this conversation."

The Illinois State Board of Education did not respond with information about why the administrator position was put in place or how it may be succeeding in other districts across the state.