UPDATE: Parents Express Concern over French Program Moves

The Milton School Committee met Tuesday, in front of a room brimming with parents, many of whom shared their unhappiness with the French Immersion Program lottery that will move 28 students out of their home schools.

Because of space, the Tucker School was selected as the home to the auxiliary class, which was created based on interest in the program. Growing enrollment at the Collicot School has led to the greatest number of students, 15, being asked to leave their home school if they want to join the French Program. Six students from Cunningham, four from Glover and three from Tucker will make up the new class.

The parents raised concerns over the newly implemented lottery system, which gave first preference to siblings, then students in the kindergarten program and then new students.  A suggestion to move the auxiliary class to the Collicot Cunningham Building was also made.

The citizens shared anecdotes and proposals to displace fewer students with the committee, but per policy, individuals were not addressed until Superintendent Mary Gormley spoke to the concerns after Citizen Speak.

Gormley informed the audience that the displacement of students is not a new issue. Because of peaks in enrollment, these choice programs often fill up. Gormley added that the kindergarten class at Collitcot was the largest ever, which has inflated the issue.

In the past, the students who were asked to choose between the program of their choice and their home school, were selected based on their distance from the school.  Gormley said this system eventually became unfair because the same families were being pushed in and out of school boundaries.

The lottery system and the location of classes were developed based on the work of the World Language Committee, which consists of teachers and a pair of parents from each school. Gormley said the administration listened to the concerns of parents in arriving at this decision.

Gormley addressed the parents' belief in moving the auxiliary class to from Tucker to Collicot Cunningham.

"If we made another class at the Collicot Cunningham, we never talked about space," said Gormley who explained that moving an additional French class into the Edge Hill Road building would force another program to become displaced.

Committee member Kristan Bagley Jones said that she couldn't ethically support moving a class in favor of a choice program.

"I feel very badly, but we've worked very hard to solve this issue the best we could," Bagley Jones said.

The lottery system, which automatically gives spots to students with siblings already enrolled in the program, was also addressed by Gormley and the committee.  Gormley expressed no desire to split families, making the decision to accept siblings first, then other Milton students and finally new enrollees. Twins or triplets who were picked in the lottery were  immediately given seats for their siblings.

During Citizen Speak, a question was also raised over the true transparency of the lottery system.  Gormley promised full disclosure. "I'll put every name on the web, every number," she said.

Following the meeting, Gormley posted a letter on the school's website stating she has decided "it would be unfair to these students to release such individual information." Instead each student in the lottery who was not selected for the French Immersion Program will receive a letter.