Sioux Falls School District 49-5 staff proposed shifting Hayward Elementary's Spanish immersion program from a two‑way model to a developmental bilingual education model, starting with next fall's kindergarten, presenters said during a board work session.

District presenter Liz said the district currently has “about 2,000 students in the district who currently participate in Spanish immersion” across seven buildings and noted the system uses multiple models (one‑way, two‑way and DBE) to match school demographics.

The board heard that Hayward's enrollment has become unbalanced for a 50/50 two‑way model and that the proposed DBE would increase access for native Spanish speakers. As one presenter put it: “This would bring that more into a a DBE model that we'd utilize at Hayward.” Staff described DBE kindergarten as emphasizing Spanish literacy first while introducing daily English‑literacy instruction so students begin both languages earlier than in some one‑way models.

Presenters said the DBE pilot would begin in kindergarten next fall and that students already enrolled in existing cohorts through fifth grade would be “honored” and continue under the current model as they advance. On staffing and cost, presenters said Hayward has bilingual teachers able to shift to the new structure and that the district can implement the change “with our current staff at Hayward.” They told the board they do not expect a significant immediate budget increase because the DBE sections would replace current sections as cohorts move up.

Board members asked whether English‑dominant students could enroll; presenters said those students are welcome to participate, though the DBE is designed to serve the school's demographics. Members also asked whether the model could expand; staff said success at Hayward could inform future expansion.

The presentation cited longitudinal research and What Works Clearinghouse summaries indicating dual‑language models frequently produce stronger English‑language outcomes for English learners over time than pull‑out ESL programs, a point staff used to explain the shift.

Next steps: staff will proceed with planning to start DBE for incoming kindergartners next fall, continue monitoring results, and report back to the board as the pilot progresses.