(The Lion) — A neighborhood elementary school with a 112-year history will soon be bilingual-only, raising concerns about community impact and transparency, even as supporters say the benefits outweigh the costs.

New Stanley Elementary, a school of about 240 students in Kansas City, Kansas, currently has a bilingual program for kindergarten and first grade. The Hispanic-majority district launched dual-language learning at three elementary schools in 2023, but only two are continuing.

The program was initially set to add one grade per year, allowing students to complete K-5 education in both English and Spanish.

But earlier this month, the district announced that starting this fall, New Stanley will only accept kindergarten and first-grade students enrolled in the bilingual program, phasing out traditional classrooms by one grade each year until the entire school is bilingual.

Students who want traditional English education will need to attend Emerson Elementary, about a half mile away, which could separate families and disrupt a tradition of multiple generations attending the neighborhood school.

Three veteran educators interviewed by The Lion voiced concerns about how the decision was made and the implications for students and families. The teachers requested anonymity, citing concerns about reprisal for speaking out.

“My biggest objection is if an American student chooses not to learn (in) a foreign language in elementary school – no matter if the school is right across the street or not – they’re forced to go down the road,” said one teacher. “So you’re forced to either speak Spanish or learn Spanish, or you can’t come to the neighborhood school.”

Founded in 1913 as Stanley Elementary and later renamed New Stanley, the school has fewer than 10 students who take the bus, one teacher said. Most walk or are dropped off by their parents, reflecting the Argentine neighborhood’s tight-knit character.

The school district surveyed parents citywide in March to gauge support for bilingual education. Of the 81 respondents, 53 (77%) said they supported expanding the dual language program, but the survey did not indicate that doing so could eliminate traditional instruction at New Stanley.

The 22,000-student district also offers the dual-language program at Frances Willard Elementary, which will continue to provide both traditional and bilingual instruction. A third school, Silver City Elementary, discontinued the program after one year.

Dr. Jacqueline Rodriguez, director of Multilingual Education and Services for the district, declined to be interviewed. A district spokesman also declined an interview but responded to questions by email.

When asked why New Stanley was selected to become bilingual-only, the spokesman said: “Both schools have always been considered to change to dual-language-only schools. Interest and enrollment numbers will determine the shifts. Attendance has increased in kindergarten and first grade due to the program.”

But teachers said the program was originally introduced as a three-year pilot ending in 2025. “Now we’re told from the get-go it was always set to go until 2029,” one teacher said.

The district cited New Stanley’s enrollment and building size as factors, suggesting its small scale made the transition more feasible. Willard has about 400 students; Silver City, about 300.

Teachers at New Stanley were also informed that two traditional teachers would be cut. Some questioned whether the change was financially motivated.

“In Dr. Rodriguez’s speech to the teachers, she mentioned funding and the building’s size,” one teacher said. “Silver City had dual language until last year and dropped it. They could have used that building, but for some reason, they chose this one.”

Schools receive about $3,000 for each student classified as an English language learner, a teacher noted, suggesting the move could boost funding if more students are designated ELL. Once the school becomes fully bilingual, it will also reduce staffing costs – bilingual grades need two teachers instead of a third to teach the traditional students.

Though New Stanley’s student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic – one teacher estimated nearly 90% – not all families prefer bilingual instruction. Some want full English-immersion to accelerate language acquisition.

“English is essential,” one parent wrote in Spanish on the district survey. “It is the language that most people speak, and leaving my children without this tool is not an option.”

But many families support bilingual education and see language retention as vital.

“My kids are both in the dual language,” one parent wrote. “They have loved every second of it. You can see the growth and the translation between languages.”

“I love the idea that they can learn two languages,” another added, in Spanish. “It is important to me not to lose the roots of my culture so that my children can identify with others who also speak Spanish.”

Emilie Rietema, head of the PTA and a former ESL educator, supports the change but also voiced concerns.

“Our school is small, and I just love it so much,” said Rietema, who has been active in the PTA for a decade and saw her youngest child graduate from fifth grade this month. “We have such a great staff. It really is a community feel – a family feel. And so I do wonder how that will be affected by doing dual language only.”

She believes the program will offer “confidence and dignity” to local families and recognizes the shift as affirming of bilingualism.

“Instead of seeing Spanish as something that needs to be replaced, it’s now seen as an asset,” she said.

Yet some teachers are surprised to now be fighting to keep English-only instruction in the school.

“We’ve fought to stay open so many times,” one teacher said. “We’ve had our community meetings, and we fought to have Spanish spoken in the school. But now I never thought we would have a day where we’re fighting to keep English in our school.”

According to the district, there are 50 kindergarten seats each at New Stanley and Willard for bilingual education. Local students get preference, with the rest assigned via lottery finalized in July. Only about 10 New Stanley students are expected to move to Emerson, the spokesman said.

Rietema acknowledged it might be “tricky” for some families if their children are split between the elementary schools but said Emerson is “just a few blocks away” and not a drastic shift. She also said she doesn’t know of anyone in that situation.

Some critics point to concerns about bilingual students testing poorly in early years. But research suggests outcomes even out over time.

New Stanley students, however, are already struggling with testing, one teacher said.

Of its 163 ELL students, only 14 scored English-language proficient on Kansas state tests: two were among the 80 bilingual program students, the teacher said, with the other 12 in grades 2-5, which are traditional classrooms.

“So proportionally, those students did better,” the teacher told The Lion. “They’re not doing great but they’re doing better.”

For Rietema, maintaining language and family connections trumps short-term fears about test scores.

“I’ve heard more parents concerned about their kids losing Spanish by going to school because that’s what we’ve seen all around us,” she said. “I can just look down my street and kids come to mind that have lost their Spanish by going to school.

“I think it will be positive for the school. I just wonder about the longer-term family feel changing a neighborhood school.”

The district says its goal is “to have a K-12 model,” and it will “begin planning for middle school in the upcoming years to follow the feeder pattern.”

Currently, there are no plans to offer programs in other languages such as Swahili or Karen – spoken in Myanmar and Thailand – which have large representations near the school, but the district may consider them as language support expands, the spokesman said.

For the teachers – several of whom could retire around the time their traditional grade classrooms are set to be eliminated – the way the district handled the change raises concerns.

“The principal who brought this program in is gone, and the new principal is being told something different,” one said. “Parents and staff should know what’s happening before decisions are made.”

Another added: “I don’t think our community would oppose a dual-language school. But we deserve all the information to decide what’s best for our school. You can’t just make that decision – and that’s what’s been done.”