Yorkville School District 115 gets ball rolling to help teachers get ESL endorsement

Yorkville Community United School District 115 is maneuvering to better serve its rapidly growing bilingual student population, signing off on an agreement this week to help teachers pay for English as a second language classes at the University of St. Francis.

During a meeting Monday, May 24, the District 115 school board unanimously approved a memo of understanding with the Yorkville Education Association, the district’s teachers union, to reimburse tuition for teachers who enroll with the university to earn an ESL endorsement. The University of St. Francis in Joliet can accommodate up to 20 district educators, who must take 18 credit hours to earn the ESL endorsement.

“I think this is going to be very impactful potentially for our students,” said Michael Camp, the district’s english learner coordinator. “We’re talking about a group that just nationwide has been historically underperforming.”

Yorkville schools’ number of bilingual students has increased 70% since 2017, and while the district has a dual-language program, the vast majority of its Spanish-speaking students take general education classes.

“We need to give our special attention to them,” Camp said. “I think equipping general education teachers with the knowledge and tools to be able to meet these students’ needs in their classroom setting currently is going to be ultimately the best for their achievement and their social-emotional wellbeing.”

Teachers who enroll in the courses will get half of their tuition reimbursed after one year, with the other half reimbursed after a second year. The first cohort seeking an ESL endorsement can begin coursework in August.

“This shows again the cooperation between the YEA (Yorkville Education Association) and the district in coming up with solutions,” said school board vice president Dr. Robert Brenart. “We know we need to address those gaps, so we appreciate all the effort we get from both sides.”