Stockton Unified, where 45 languages are spoken at home, aims to aid Hmong, Cambodian families

Stockton Unified School District officials are looking for ways to improve their outreach to families of students who are learning to speak English to create a more inclusive environment and boost high school graduation rates where they're needed.

The district is the largest in Stockton, which in 2020 was identified as the most diverse large city in America. Here, more than 45 languages are spoken by families whose students are enrolled in one of the district's schools.

Nearly a quarter of the district's 37,000 students are classified as English learners, which means those students reported speaking a language other than English at home and did not score highly on an English assessment, Director of Language Development, Dr. Israel Gonzalez said. Twenty-eight percent of those students are not graduating high school, Gonzalez said.

Yet the district communicates in only English and Spanish, the two languages that meet the state Department of Education’s communication requirement for languages spoken by 15% or more of the district population, Gonzalez said.

That leaves behind at least 700 students who speak at home either Hmong or Khmer — the national language of Cambodia. They are the third and fourth most-spoken languages in the school district behind English and Spanish, according to a report Gonzalez presented last Friday to the Board of Trustees' English Learners Committee.

“I understand what policy says about ed code has to be a certain percentage but as a district, we have to do better because we are such a diverse district,” board Vice President Kennetha Stevens said. “We’re not meeting the needs of all of our families. We’re meeting some, but we’re not really investing the way that we should.”

The district has “exotic” language translators available, but they are only available when requested.

District officials said they generally aren’t receiving requests for exotic language translators for groups like the District English Learner Advisory Committee and other groups where parents can get involved. Stevens said the district used to have Hmong translators designated for parent meetings and outreach, but Stockton Unified’s translators are now stationed at the enrollment office, a district official said.

“We did get participation, but it was because we had someone going after the parents, and we no longer have outreach,” Stevens said.

The District English Learner Advisory Committee is responsible for administering a yearly parent-needs assessment, but the survey is only offered in English and Spanish. Interim Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Dr. Susana Ramirez said that will need to change.

“Something that we will need … a commitment to translate the needs survey in different languages to ensure that it’s in Hmong, Cambodian and these other languages,” Ramirez said.

Taylor Leadership Academy, a K-8 Stockton Unified school, hosts one of the largest Hmong communities in the school district, Ramirez said. When Ramirez began working at the school district in 2019, they had a specific learning program for Hmong students that has since gone away, she said.

“I feel like at that time, we did have a better system of communicating at large with our Hmong families,” Ramirez said. “(Things) we can do next year — one is having stronger relationships with those site principals … How can we develop and implement a program that meets the needs of student populations other than Spanish speakers?”

The stakes are high. Though the district is in financial peril, they need to spend roughly $150 million in federal COVID-relief funding by September 2024, Ramirez said.

More: Limited progress at Stockton Unified puts it at 'urgent' risk of insolvency, state takeover

“In this moment, in this district, there’s enough resources for everybody. It’s what our district targets,” Ramirez said. “We want it to go into the hands of people that are wanting to ‘do’ for our community.”

Stevens said every parent group should have the opportunity to produce a plan for COVID-relief funds.

“I think we’re doing our district and our funding a disservice when we’re not asking parents what support could help them navigate their students’ journey,” Stevens said.

The next English Learner Committee meeting is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 1 at the Arthur Coleman Jr. Administrative Complex. All Stockton Unified subcommittee meetings are open to the public.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton Unified School District aims to aid Hmong, Cambodian families