Language Tutor Jobs In Jeopardy

Budget cuts in San Ramon schools could mean pink slips for those working with students learning English

SAN RAMON—Daniel Villa, 15, is one of Iron Horse Middle School’s newest students. He moved into the district from Mexico a little over a month ago; he knows very little English and his facial expressions give away his nervousness.

“Guadalajara,” he says in a whisper when asked where he’s from. He nods, looking down at his desk, when asked if he likes California.

A fellow student, 12-year-old Kathleen Kryksman, is from Colombia. She has been helping Daniel in class because she is a native Spanish speaker. She, once a non-English speaker herself, is familiar with his anxiety and says Daniel answers “yes” to any question the teacher asks.

For the first 50 minutes of Daniel’s school day he meets with a tutor in his English language development class, taught by Carol Bell. Bell is busy working with a dozen other ELD students who have been in the district for a couple years. They come from the Philippines, Korea, Lebanon, India, Russia, Hong Kong and other countries, and they’re stringing together sentences.

Just a few feet away from Bell’s students are Daniel, Kathleen and a few others whose English skills aren’t yet in line with their peers’. Bell said if wasn’t for their ELD tutor, Shirley Jacks, it would be hard for her to teach when students like Daniel need extra attention.

The jobs of Jacks and the district’s nine other ELD tutors could soon be eliminated. With soaring utility bills and the cost of special education and health care, the district faces a $2.8 million budget cut. The district staff has recommended 24 options to board members for cuts, including the elimination of the tutors’ jobs, which would save $60,000.

“I don’t know what I would do without (Jacks),” Bell said, saying students’ English skill levels range from beginning to intermediate. “You can’t have one teacher teach all these levels. It just won’t work.”

Besides Daniel and Kathleen, Jacks works with three boys from Angola. Two are brothers, both 14. One had no prior formal education, while the other had only a second-grade education.

“It’s amazing how much they have learned,” Jacks said, noting the boys will soon work with Bell’s class. “The most important thing to do is smile and make them feel comfortable. You do a lot of pantomime and, before you know it, these kids are talking.”

Possible cuts ahead

The district staff has recommended eliminating tutors and allocating remaining state money to make sure certified staff members meet increased state training standards. Superintendent Rob Kessler has said the number of ELD tutors in the district has been decreasing ever since Proposition 227, the 1998 initiative that required schools to replace bilingual instruction with English immersion.

The initiative greatly modified the manner in which English-language learners receive services, requiring that students be taught by certified teachers not tutors.

Board President Joan Buchanan said program cuts are difficult, but favors this option.

“I hate to do it, but I can live with it,” Buchanan said.

Board member Bill Clarkson agrees. “If staff is recommending they want to change ELD anyway to reflect we are more in line with state law, then I’m with Joan (Buchanan),” he said.

Board member Marianne Gagen, a former ELD teacher in Vallejo, is opposed to tutor cuts.

“I know what it’s like. Some non-English-speaking child would come into the class terror-struck and sit there with glazed eyes through the entire class, sometime the victim of jokes,” she said. “When I was teaching I had to have an aide.”

ELD tutors and certified teachers have been present in great numbers at recent board meetings, and several have spoken to the board about their own emotional stories as former non-English speakers and the importance of individualized attention.

Bell wrote to district administrators that a cut to the ELD program will cost them in lower Academic Performance Index scores.

“English-language learners who do not receive support and individualized attention will find it difficult to improve,” Bell said. “Their low skills will be reflected in their SAT 9 (Stanford Achievement Test) test scores and they will impact our API.”

Gagen agrees.

“It’s going to cost us more in the long run,” she said.

ELD cuts haven’t been proposed for the Livermore Unified School District or West Contra Costa Unified.

Toni Oklan-Arko, director of bilingual/ELD services for West Contra Costa Unified, said that district has the largest concentration of English-language learners around 8,699 students compared to San Ramon Valley’s 420 and Livermore Unified’s 1,200.

Oklan-Arko said it’s sad to hear San Ramon Valley’s district is considering eliminating tutors. “We can’t cut anything. We’ve increased about 400 English-language learners over last year.”

A glimpse of hope

For students like Daniel, his peers said with confidence that after several hours of watching American TV his English will come along.

Two years ago, 12-year-old Andrey Sovgir was in Daniel’s shoes.

“My name is Andrey and I’m from the Ukraine. I moved here 2 1/2 years ago and I speak Russian.” he said. “And English.”

He smiles. His tutor said students like Andrey should smile because he will be out of the ELD program soon.

In a California High School ELD class all but one student one who recently arrived from Angola needed the help of a tutor. Many of these students said they have younger siblings who need tutors. “My little brother is really bad in English,” said Rami Sabbah of Lebanon. “I can’t imagine little children walking around not knowing English.”

The school board will be addressing their recommendations of all proposed budget cuts at the May 22 board meeting.

Kyra Kitlowski covers San Ramon Valley schools. Reach her at 925-743-2219 or [email protected].



Comments are closed.