Spanish
Excerpt from Sudbury Public Schools' FAQs:
While Spanish could be cut, it would not save any appreciable money. The children would still need instructional time for that period to meet the required minimum hours of instructional time (900 hours). We would be paying for teachers for whatever was substituted for Spanish. The time students spend with specialist teachers counts as part of the state-required learning time and could only be replaced, on an ongoing basis, with other instruction by a qualified teacher. Additionally, the time that elementary students spend with the specialist teachers provides the only time during the school day for the classroom teacher to prepare lessons, review and grade student work, contact parents, and meet with others—unless the teacher is pulled from the class and a paid substitute provided.
Beyond the financial considerations, in our global society, the district feels there is much benefit in growing students’ familiarity with learning a second language. The elementary school Spanish program is not intended to teach the students to be fluent in Spanish; rather, it provides a foundation, and better prepares them for more intensive study of a foreign language in middle school and high school. The program also provides an opportunity to teach students about a culture that is different from their own. The earlier a student learns the basics of acquiring a second language, the easier it is to acquire the speaking and comprehension of a language.
Interestingly, Brookline passed an override last year specifically to add Spanish to their elementary program. The only data of success we have is anecdotal. The chair of the World Language department at LS has stated that it is "clear" that Sudbury students are coming to the language department at LS better prepared than they were in the past and are now at the same level as the Lincoln students in preparation. Our first class of students who started Spanish in the elementary school is now at LS.