.School District in Sonoma County Cuts Translator for Spanish-Speaking Parents

School districts across California are facing some super rough choices right now, as more info comes down from state politicians about how much education funding will be available for the coming school year. (Outlook not good.) And at the small Oak Grove Union School District on the border of Sebastopol and Santa Rosa, which runs one elementary school and one middle school, a certain budget cut in particular has parents up in arms. At the end of this year, the district will get rid of its bilingual liaison for Spanish-speaking parents, according to the Press Democrat. Ana Castillo Williams has been the sole resource for helping parents fill out forms, read materials and communicate with teachers, the PD reports — making her presence “invaluable to parents who only speak Spanish.” Without her there, parents say they’ll feel cut off from their kids’ education. More from the story: “Castillo Williams is just one of seven staff members who will be let go at the end of the school year. The layoffs are paired with a slew of program cuts. The financial standing of the small district — it has 800 students — plummeted when their reserves dipped below the state’s required 3%. The decision comes as districts of all sizes are making staff reductions. With the expiration of one-time COVID funds and lower-than-expected inflation adjustments and state revenues being funneled to school districts next year, school boards have had to make tough decisions about what to cut. On Friday, a small but mighty group of concerned parents gathered outside Willowside Middle School and marched directly to the district office next door to make sure their voices were heard. The parents, many of whom only speak Spanish, felt firing the district’s only translator will leave their families without a way to communicate with their children’s schools.” District officials are reportedly promising to “ramp up the availability of the district’s 10 bilingual staff — including teachers, administrators and groundskeepers — to communicate with Spanish-speaking parents and ensure that all materials are translated in Spanish.” But parents are skeptical that they’ll get the same level of access and care. You can read more in the PD. (Source: Press Democrat & Press Democrat; paywall)