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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... EDUCATION Latino parents: More bilingual staff needed in Medford schools Comment By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted May. 11, 2015 at 5:53 PM Updated May 12, 2015 at 10:59 AM By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted May. 11, 2015 at 5:53 PM Updated May 12, 2015 at 10:59 AM » Social News Latino parents have again asked the Medford School Board to commit to hiring more qualified, bilingual staff. Humberto Garduno, Dagoberto Morales and Guadalupe De Leòn were the only parents to speak at a hearing last week on the Medford district's 2015-16 budget. “We need more bilingual teachers,” said De Leon, through translator Kathy Keesee. “We aren't saying we want them tomorrow, but please don’t forget,” he said in Spanish. Keesee, program coordinator for advocacy group Unete, said this is the third consecutive year that Latino parents have made similar requests. "Hopefully, this time, you’ll invest more to find staffing that is adequate and can meet the needs of our children, because now we are getting discouraged,” said Morales, with Keesee, his wife, translating. “Their concerns aren't falling on deaf ears,” said School Board Chairman Jeff Thomas Friday. “It’s not really a budget issue. It’s a finding-qualified-bilingual-staff issue.” There are a lot of employers fighting for a few qualified, bilingual educators, he said, adding that, ultimately, the district may need to start “growing its own” by providing incentives for students interested in education to come back and teach in the district. According to the 2015-16 budget proposal, approved by the budget committee, the school district has allocated enough to add one part-time educational assistant for English language learners. The approved budget has yet to be adopted by the Medford School Board. However, the district is making an effort to fill open teaching and support positions with bilingual and bicultural candidates. “We will always get the best educator first, but a great educator who also is bilingual is a plus,” said Sharilyn Cano, the district's human resources director. Cano, Superintendent Brian Shumate, a couple of other administrators and two high school counselors attended the California Association for Bilingual Education conference in March in San Diego, Calif. Shumate said the group attended the conference to build relationships with bilingual educators — there are more in California than Oregon — and to "make sure that Medford is on their radar." “We have to have more diversity among our staff at all levels and job classifications to help us better serve our families,” Shumate said. The district previously didn't track how many staff or which staff were bilingual but, starting this year, has made “a pointed effort” to document what language or languages new hires and the current staff speak, Cano said. Last school year, between 22 and 25 percent of the district's students in kindergarten through eighth grade and 19 percent of its high school students were Latino. About 15 percent of students in elementary and middle school and 12 percent in high school were English language learners, according to the district’s 2013-14 report card. Not all ELL students are Latino. There were 22 different languages spoken last year in the district’s high schools alone. Keesee said the shortage of bilingual staff in the schools makes it difficult for Latino parents, including those who spoke at the budget hearing, to converse with school staff or be more involved in their children's education. In some cases, the parents who don't speak English must wait until a bilingual educational assistant or teacher can be pulled from a classroom or until another translator can be reached on the phone. “Last year, they hired a bilingual principal (Javier del Rio) at Howard (Elementary), and the parent involvement went up,” Keesee said. Many Latino parents also are concerned that some of the bilingual staff working with their children were hired solely because of their language abilities and not because they have been trained as effective educators, Keesee said. “Our issue is that, if you are working with a child on the autism spectrum, you know what kinds of strategies are effective for children with autism, not that you can just speak to the child in Spanish,” she said. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt . Correction: The photo caption in this version of the story has been changed to show that Marji Luther is bilingual. By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted May. 11, 2015 at 5:53 PM Updated May 12, 2015 at 10:59 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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