District officials are weighing whether limited resources are better spent preserving a shrinking high school French program or expanding in-person English language instruction for a growing number of students who cannot yet access the classroom in English. That question is at the heart of the district’s proposal to phase out its high school French program while expanding in-house English language instruction. Ending a district-run French program does not have to mean ending French instruction altogether. Options such as online coursework and dual enrollment could still allow interested students to meet prerequisite requirements while the district focuses its in-person resources on English language instruction. Foundational English instruction cannot.