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L.A. Unified Commits to Expanded Investment in Language Immersion and Multicultural Education Opportunities (6-16-22)
Contact: Ally Salvaria, For Immediate Release Communications Director Email: Ally.Salvaria@LAUSD.net Phone: (818) 726-6151
L.A. Unified Commits to Expanded Investment in Language Immersion and Multicultural Education Opportunities
June 15, 2022 – In response to the success of LA Unified’s language immersion programs in improving learning, creating global citizens, and attracting families to the District, and to meet the acute needs of those programs following the impact of distance learning on language acquisition, the Board of Education and Superintendent announced a new investment in language immersion and multicultural education.
This dedicated investment, including a $10M initial infusion of funding, will provide needed resources for dual language programs, including to support specialized staffing and curricular needs, and reflect an ongoing commitment to bilingualism and biliteracy for L.A. Unified’s students. The announcement reflects an alignment of a proposal from Board Vice President Nick Melvoin with Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho’s draft budget priorities and upcoming Strategic Plan. The initial proposal was cosponsored by Board Members Scott M. Schmerelson and Dr. George J. McKenna III.
“I am proud of the thriving dual language programs LA Unified has cultivated and glad to see a budget, aligned with a new strategic plan, that invests in these kinds of successful programs,” said Melvoin. “This is an exciting new path forward to execute on student-centered priorities like this one.”
“I am pleased to support additional investments in dual language programs for our students,” said Dr. McKenna. “The world we are preparing to transition to the leaders of tomorrow will be increasingly embedded with a global lens. Continued investments in preparing students to be bi-lingual and bi-literate will pay dividends later.”
“As a longtime educator, I am honored to have lived and worked in a district as diverse as ours, with over 97 languages spoken in our schools and communities,” said Board Member Schmerelson. “To ensure students across the district can access our successful dual language programs and benefit from bilingualism, it is essential that we invest in order to recruit qualified teachers and assistant teachers and provide them with all the needed supports to succeed."
Nick Melvoin is proud to serve the dynamic communities of District 4 as Vice President of the LA Unified Board of Education. Nick’s election to the Board in May of 2017 follows a career fighting for our city’s schoolchildren. He believes that together, with the right leadership, we can ensure that every student in Los Angeles has the opportunity to succeed. Board District 4 stretches westward from Hollywood to the ocean, and from Westchester up to the Northwest San Fernando Valley.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please call Ally Salvaria at 818-726-6151 or email at Ally.Salvaria@LAUSD.net.