Bellevue families with preschoolers are a step closer to a new language option: the district announced Monday it is developing a Modern Hebrew immersion program starting at kindergarten for the 2027-28 school year.

The Bellevue School District's Multilingual Learners department said Monday, June 22, that it is moving forward with planning after months of community surveys and staff input.

If launched, Modern Hebrew would join Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, Korean, and Japanese as the district's sixth elementary language offering.

The school site has not been identified. The district still needs to develop curriculum, confirm enrollment interest, and recruit qualified teachers before the program can open.

Families who want to learn more or signal interest can attend a community meeting Tuesday, September 8, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Rainier Room at the Wilburton Instructional Service Center, 12241 Main St., Bellevue. Questions can also be directed to [email protected].

The decision follows Procedure 2110.1P, adopted by the school board April 29, 2026, which requires demonstrated student interest, sufficient enrollment projections, qualified staff, appropriate curriculum, a pathway to the Seal of Biliteracy, and minimal impact on existing programs.

Superintendent Dr. Kelly Aramaki noted the expansion in a year-end blog post published the same day. "Over the past three years, our elementary language programs expanded from Spanish and Mandarin to now include Arabic, Korean, and Japanese," Aramaki wrote.

"In response to community interest, we are developing plans to start an elementary Modern Hebrew language program beginning with kindergarten for the 2027-28 school year."

The district is under binding conditions with the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction due to prior financial challenges, though Aramaki reported expected ending reserves of just over $10 million for 2025-26, up from negative $700,000 the prior year.

The district said the September 8 meeting will outline what the program would look like and help determine whether enrollment interest is sufficient to proceed.