The San Diego Teachers Union is concerned that a proposal for bilingual education recently approved by the district’s board of education will mean more work for teachers, according to Voice of San Diego.org. The union backs the proposal but raises some questions about it.
The school district would have to get parent waivers from English-immersion programs to carry out the bilingual education plan. Voice of San Diego.org has more on the proposal here.
Since 1998, when Proposition 227 was passed in California, school districts have been able to provide bilingual education only to children whose parents have signed waivers.
The first year after passage of Proposition 227, the proportion of English-language learners in the state receiving bilingual education decreased from 29 percent to 12 percent. By 2007, the proportion of ELLs in bilingual education had dropped to 6 percent.
Update: Voice of San Diego.org reports today that the Sweetwater High School Union District in California is also weighing a bilingual education proposal, similar to the one passed by the San Diego school board.