Secure District and Community Support

Superintendent/School Board Support

The first to approach in seeking support for the DL program should be the district superintendent. Having the superintendent’s support will be pivotal in your effort to implement a DL program.

It should be left to the superintendent to lay the path toward informing the governing board regarding the request to implement a DL program. In some districts, a board action to adopt the DL program may be needed.

The board may ask for a study session to learn more about the request to implement a DL program prior to voting on the district’s request.

The district may designate the school site(s) for the DL program and identify the program implementation model (whole school or strand within a school), which will inform the work of the DL Leadership Team.

Human Resources Support

Collaborating with the Human Resources department will be critical to your efforts to recruit teachers for the DL program.

Budgetary Support

Start early and seek funds from the district and other funding sources (e.g., grant opportunities, etc.) to cover start-up costs for the DL program.

Promotional materials for the DL program will need to be printed (e.g., brochure, posters) and work to add these to the district and each DL site’s website.

Purchasing core curriculum (language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, etc.) in the partner language may also be necessary, as well as procuring supplemental instructional materials in the partner language for DL classrooms and school library. Classroom and school library materials in the partner language will also need to be secured (e.g.,

supplemental/research materials corresponding to the content being taught in the partner language at each grade level, authentic literature in the partner language for voluntary/pleasure reading by grade level)

Purchasing DL program assessments, such as language development assessments in English, partner language and academic assessments in English and the partner language will need to be pursued.

Other items that may impact the budget include providing release time (with substitute coverage) for DL teachers to do vertical planning and for DL-specific professional development during school year. Providing stipends for DL teachers may be important to attract teachers in areas with a significant bilingual/biliterate teacher shortage or to recognize the additional work that a DL teacher performs. All of the above items may necessitate a conversation and memorandum of understanding with the teachers’ union.

Many districts hire a DL resource teacher/Teacher on Special Assignment (a teacher who has experience with a DL program and has the credentials to teach in the program) to support district and site administration from DL site(s), teachers and instructional assistants in the DL program, classified staff at the DL site(s), and families of students in the DL program.

Securing consultants to provide an external review of the DL program for the first few years of the program as well as providing program professional development for district and site administration from DL site(s), teachers and instructional assistants in DL program, and classified staff at DL program site(s) may have budgetary implications.

Supporting annual DL conference attendance for district and site administration and teachers and instructional aides in program is another budget item to consider.

Teachers’ Union Support

Various aspects of the DL program may need an informal or formal agreement with the teachers’ union.

It is recommended that teachers that are assigned to the program be placed on a separate seniority list to protect the DL program, as it requires a specialized credential.

If there is a stipend or additional release days that will be offered to teachers in the DL program, that may require an agreement with the union, as well.