In January, the Board of Trustees affirmed its commitment to developing a Dual Language Bilingual Education program in Spanish and Punjabi.
Superintendent Mark Marshall, Ed.D., says the district intentionally chose those languages.
"We're a very diverse district. We're very proud of that, so we want to make sure that we have offerings that support that," Marshall said.
According to the resolution, of the nearly 16,000 students in the district, 19.2% students speak Spanish at home and 6.5% speak Punjabi.
Marshall says this is the first step, and the district will be working to learn from other districts that have rolled out similar programs.
"Going through the state, look at what's available, look at people that have a dual immersion program in Punjabi, see what they did. What are the staffing patterns? What are the costs?" Marshall said.
Marshall says he's seen the impact dual immersion can have on students in previous districts where he's worked.
"For kids to be biliterate, you know, have multicultural competence, that's a strength in today's society," Marshall said.
While this is only the first step, Marshall says he's hopeful it will set students up for success.
"We want our kids to be able to compete globally. It's a different society now. We want to make sure that our students have what they need to take that next step," Marshall said.
Marshall says the district hopes to have a detailed timeline of the program's rollout by this fall.
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