MPS plans to end full Italian immersion in place since 2006, switch to language class
Citing low enrollment and budgetary constraints, Milwaukee Public Schools plans to stop offering a full Italian immersion program and scale-down to an Italian class beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
The Italian immersion program currently has 24 students enrolled in the two-teacher K4 through fifth-grade program, MPS Deputy Superintendent Eduardo Galvan said during a May 29 School Board meeting. The district plans to offer an Italian language class within Victory K8 School, where the immersion program has been housed since it opened in 2006.
According to Victory K8's website, the immersion program is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States.
Christina and Michael Balistreri wrote an op-ed published May 27 on JSOnline.com urging the School Board to maintain the program "envisioned" by their father, Tom Balistreri, a former MPS school board member and principal of Rufus King International High School.
"Unfortunately, MPS administration decided to dissolve the Italian Immersion Program with little communication with the community group they were collaborating with for nearly two years. After this decision, a letter was sent to parents informing them of this devastating change, leaving many feeling blindsided and confused," the op-ed reads.
Christina and Michael Balistreri said MPS' proposal "strips the program of the immense benefits of full immersion" by offering a language class alone rather than all classes taught in Italian.
During the May 29 meeting, Galvan said the district is "carefully evaluating how to best sustain and grow the Italian language and culture offerings."
"We must grow this program in order to preserve it for years to come. Specifically, we are looking to ensure that the Italian language is offered to all K-8 students at Victory," he said.
Ten people spoke during a public hearing on the topic at the meeting; all opposed ending Italian immersion in MPS.
The School Board took no action during that meeting — but the district later confirmed its plans for the immersion program are contingent upon a future vote by the board.
During the May 29 meeting, several speakers said MPS could grow enrollment by moving the program to a more central location in the city. Within Victory K8 school, the immersion program is at 2222 W. Henry Ave., on the far south side of the city near Greendale.
"Let the Italian immersion school reboot somewhere new, centrally located. Victory was not the ideal for growth, and it was never, ever meant to be a permanent home," said Gina Jorgensen, an MPS educator and parent of a child who attended the school.
Jorgensen petitioned the board to hold the public hearing, and for the School Board to have the final say in the future of the immersion program.
"We have asked many times, for a decade, for this school to be moved. And here we are now today," Jorgensen said.
Among the speakers at the meeting was Sandy Winard, president of the Italian Community Center of Milwaukee and the executive director of Festa Italiana. She described the east side, Brady Street and Third Ward areas of Milwaukee as among "the most vibrant building block areas of this city."
She also pointed out that MPS operates immersion programs in other languages: French, German and Spanish.
"We would like to see our culture, our language, have the same opportunity," she said.
Cleo Krejci covers K-12 education and workforce development as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. For more information about Report for America, visit jsonline.com/rfa.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MPS to end full Italian immersion, switch to language class
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