Bilingual Programs

In response to Bea Weber’s letter (Feb. 13), much as I would like to take full credit, for I certainly was accused of full blame, I was but one of 11 members of the State Board of Education who opposed the continuation of a state-mandated bilingual program. The state board had unanimously adopted a policy on the education of limited-English proficient students, which called for local flexibility and local control. In other words, allow the school districts to decide which special program to use--not just one program. All minority students are different. All school districts are different.

Inglewood School District officials exercise their option to use an English-based program of instruction for their LEP students. And credit for giving them that option should go to former Gov. George Deukmejian, who vetoed Assembly Speaker Willie Brown’s bilingual bills, AB 2813 and AB 37, which would have continued the state’s bilingual program.

But the real success in education does not happen in Sacramento, or in Washington or at the county or district level. Success or failure is in the classroom between teacher and pupil. They are the ones who deserve the credit, and whatever stands in the way of their success, deserves the blame.

ANGIE PAPADAKIS, Rancho Palos Verdes