Schools to hire help for non-English speakers

The Cedar Grove-Belgium School Board last week unanimously approved hiring an English language teaching coordinator position in response to administration’s request for help.

A recent home language survey showed the district has 38 students who need English language services. Of those, seven hardly speak any English. The majority need a significant level of support.

“I believe our population is getting to be so big and our needs are getting to be more significant that we are not able to provide services they need with the current staff that we have,” middle school Principal Kelly Dzurik told the board during a committee of the whole meeting last month.

Dzurik has led the district’s efforts in how to best serve students with English language needs, but her role would be reduced to oversight once the English teaching coordinator position is filled.

The district, interim Supt. Carol Martin said, is using all the resources it can, “but when the numbers start tripping to this extent, it starts to get overwhelming for classroom teachers.

“How do I reach this child? It’s very challenging for them to feel like they’re doing their job.”

Martin recommended Dzurik  receive a stipend for her work going above and beyond her duties as principal.

The district wants to fill the full-time position this year, ideally with someone who speaks Spanish and English. Money for the position has been put into the 2019-2020 budget in the range of $70,000 to $80,000.

Martin said the district has also found a few people in the community who could help on an hourly basis with the translation of documents, such as registration materials.