The Cupertino Courier

Education Briefs

CUSD opposes initiative

The Cupertino Union School District's board of trustees unanimously passed a resolution at its meeting last Tuesday, declaring opposition to the controversial Unz initiative.

Proposition 227, written by Palo Alto businessman Ron Unz, would eliminate bilingual education and many other language programs in the state's public schools.

The CUSD trustees said that its sheltered immersion program would not be lost under the initiative, but local decision-making authority to meet students' needs and implement other programs would be lost if it passes.

The trustees said the initiative would negatively impact the district's successful English Language Development program. Students with limited English-speaking skills average 12 to 18 months in the program before moving into regular classes and have high levels of success in school.

If Prop. 227 passes, all students with the same English proficiency would be placed together in an immersion class for up to one year regardless of age or grade level. Afterward, they would be placed in regular classes no matter how well they have learned English.

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