Language policy development connects a school district's educational philosophy and the day-to-day practice of educators. An educational philosophy elaborates the aims a school district has for its students; language policy, on the other hand, engages day-to-day practice because it is concerned with how students are going to achieve the aims through language. Moreover, administrators and teachers, in their educational practice, participate in an ongoing process of language planning, a process linked to power and social justice issues. This article maps out the relationship between cultural nationalist ideology and language policy development in the Crystal City Independent School District. Using qualitative data and teacher narratives, it analyzes how language planning unfolds at the level of the school site and the effects this has on teachers and instruction. The analysis supports the conclusion that the school district as an institution has limitations in promoting cultural and linguistic maintenance in its student population.