White Bear Lake schools to offer Spanish dual-language immersion

Students at two elementary schools in White Bear Lake will have lessons in a mix of English and Spanish next school year.

The district is the latest to launch a Spanish dual immersion program, designed to help students become bilingual by offering opportunities to read, write, listen and speak in two languages. Starting next fall, Otter Lake and Matoska International elementary schools in White Bear Lake will each host up to three immersion kindergarten classes. Transportation for the program will be offered to families throughout the district.

The model is a popular draw at other schools across the metro area. Some districts, like Richfield, are seeing boosts in the number of families open enrolling there so they can get their child into Spanish dual-language immersion classes. In the face of enrollment declines and budget woes, Minneapolis Public Schools has discussed expanding dual-language immersion programming to try to draw families to the city’s schools.

Some, but not all, of the school districts surrounding White Bear Lake Area Schools have similar programs, said Alison Gillespie, the district’s assistant superintendent for teaching and learning.

“We have families that have younger children in immersion daycares that are close to us who were really wondering what type of programming that we were going to offer,” she said. “We’re getting continuous feedback from people that they were excited about the potential of this.”

The White Bear Lake program is designed to serve both Spanish-speaking families and families that don’t speak Spanish at home. Discussions about adding such a program in the district have been ongoing for more than a decade, Superintendent Wayne Kazmierczak said.

“We were poised to move ahead,” he said, adding that district leaders felt the addition aligned with the district’s strategic plan while addressing families’ desires and student need.

School Board Chair Angela Thompson agreed. “This is forward-thinking education,” she said in a statement. “When I look at the job market, almost all of our employers want you to have a second language.”