English First Honors School Board Trustees

The head of a national advocacy group called English First has recognized three Orange Unified School District trustees for dismantling bilingual education in the district.

Trustee Robert Viviano, who proposed the district’s English immersion program, and board colleagues James Fearns and Rick Ledesma received plaques during a board meeting last week.

“What you all have done in this room we are convinced will set national precedence for schools nationwide,” said Jim Boulet Jr., executive director of the Springfield, Va.-based group.

Not everyone in the district is thrilled with the move from native-language instruction to English immersion. One teacher said she’s having a hard time getting through to a class of Spanish-speaking students.

“I can’t talk to any of them,” Carolyn Bandel, a teacher at Jordan Elementary School, told trustees. “I get a headache because nobody understands me all day long.”