August 28, 2026 – Minutes

Time:  2:00 pm

Attendance:

• Margaret Swanicke – Principal
• Dana Riches – Teacher
• Donald Aguirre – Parent
• Danielle Collier – Parent
• Zack Franzoni – Parent
• Candice Marsh – Parent
• Community members also present:  Bethany Stewart (PTA President), Ashley Jordan – Teacher

Agenda Items:

• Welcome and quick check in
• CSD Board requested feedback from Midvalley SCC
• Background – Canyons School District is taking steps to maintain strong and sustainable Dual-Language Immersion programs in the face of declining enrollment while inviting families to give input on what those programs could look like in the future. Traditionally, a two-class DLI cohort begins with about 56 immersion students, or 28 students in each class, along with enrollment to support neighborhood classrooms. This past year, however, some Canyons schools did not have enough incoming first-grade students to sustain that model and had to move to a one-class cohort model. Feedback will help inform the District’s Long-Range Planning process. It will also help the District understand what information families need as enrollment decisions are communicated from year to year.
• In preparation for the upcoming application window for elementary-level DLI programs, the District has proposed enrollment targets and timelines for determining whether schools have sufficient enrollment to support two first-grade DLI classes or whether a one-class cohort may be necessary.
• The plan, discussed by the Canyons Board of Education at its Aug. 18, 2026 meeting, would establish a Jan. 15, 2027 enrollment deadline for the following school year and provide families with regular updates about their school’s progress toward those targets.
• Margaret reviewed Midvalley’s right now current FTE
  • Highlighted class sizes
  • Explained how large class sizes in DLI 1st grade and 2nd grade help balance FTE allocation in 4th and 5th grade DLI classrooms.
• The District is also extending its application window, which will run from Sept. 30 to Dec. 15, 2026.
• Can we start enrolling now?  Use Meet and Greet and Back to School Night to get Kinder families interested now.
• Enrollment Targets
  • For a two-class DLI cohort: At least 50 students would need to commit by Jan. 15 to enrolling in DLI, and there would need to be 19 students in the neighborhood classroom.
  • For a one-class cohort: If DLI enrollment falls short of 50, the school would move to a one-class DLI cohort of 30 students. This class size accounts for normal attrition in the program, and ensures there is enough enrollment to sustain the program as students advance in age.
    • Does the one class cohort apply to all grade levels?  
    • If so–would students loose their spot when that cohort hits 30?
    • What is the timeline?
  • Midvalley SCC wondered if we could have the 50 students be adjusted to 46 would need to commit by Jan. 15 with 19 students in the neighborhood classroom.
  • Midvalley SCC wondered if the application process could be more user friendly, increase communication about waitlist, increase communication about openings at our school sites for all languages, improve website with current numbers, and improve the DLI website to make it easier to find and updated.
  • DLI parents/guardians want to help with recruitment.
• Long-term possibilities could include:
  • adjusting school boundaries
    • Midvalley SCC doesn’t see this solving the problem.  DLI families are willing to drive past multiple schools to get to their DLI school.
  • developing DLI-only magnet schools that draw students from a larger geographic area
    • Midvalley SCC does not like this idea as being a part of the neighborhood and community is important to the DLI parents/guardians.
    • Midvalley is special because of our 15 languages spoken and many cultures.
    • We love having our students experience Brain Boosters, recess, field trips, and program with neighborhood classes.  They wouldn’t get that experience in a magnet school.
  • consolidating programs to create stronger more sustainable cohorts
    • Midvalley SCC recommends consolidating programs.
    • We’d rather have 2 high functioning Spanish programs than the 1-class cohort.  There is concern about the impact on the teachers and students in the 1-class cohort model–including the neighborhood class of 19 that will be a cohort for their elementary experience.
    • Looking at enrollment projects below–consolation is inevitable.