Phyllis E. Williams Elementary

My daughter was blessed with the opportunity to attend Phyllis E. Williams to learn Spanish, but there's a catch. The classrooms aren't properly staffed. In my opinion, most individuals have a hard enough time with the English language, but to learn a whole new language is another challenge in itself. There is one (1) teacher to 18-25 students, trying to learn Spanish, which isn't good and makes no sense. There needs to be a teachers aide or assistant in the classrooms, especially the lower grade levels, K-3rd grade. I would consider these students to be beginners to the language, whom require additional assistance. It's not up to another child learning the language to be required to assist another student, it's should be another adult whose qualified to teach and make sure they understand. My daughter has come home complaining she didn't understand what was taught in class, and I have to try to teach her as a beginner to the Spanish language myself. I don't see how this funded Specialty school expects children (the students) to thrive and advance in a program in which is inadequately staffed. Not to mention you have teachers who barely speak or understand the English language that are teaching our children. It may be their policy to speak only Spanish in the classroom, but you must communicate with me, as the parent in English! Where is the fairness in the situation? When will the constant complaints be addressed and fixed about proper staffing? What is being done with the funding for our children to learn, without worry of being left behind? In regular public schools, the ESL classrooms are properly staffed and the number of students to each teacher is less (5-15). Someone needs to make sure they get the assistance they need in the classroom, and they have a large enough lunch serving at school, because my 6 yr old comes home hungry everyday. The serving size for breakfast and lunch are like snacks, it's terrible. There's also the issue with no more days being set aside for Parent/Teacher conferences during the year, except if the parent reaches out to the teacher for time. The system is moving backwards in regression, and giving teachers more time off for so called development, and students less learning time in the classroom. It's a crying shame that Foreign institutions have a more profound and advanced learning system than the USA, and we spend more money on education. Something has to be done about making sure these issues are addressed.

Regards,

Disappointed

This school was fine until it became a Spanish Immersion School. I have nothing against Latino/Hispanics, but the county itself is gentrifying this school to the point where they're nearly kicking out any student who is not Latino/Hispanic based on idiosyncrasies. Now that is unfair!