Senate Bill 952 would have established a program to offer at least 20 school districts technical assistance and grants of up to $750,000 each to expand or establish dual-language immersion programs.
EdSource reports that dual-language immersion programs are designed to help both those who speak only English and those who speak only another language become bilingual by teaching all students in both languages. Research shows that these programs improve academic achievement for English learners, and at the same time benefit students who are native English speakers.
The bill was co-sponsored by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, the California Association for Bilingual Education and Californians Together, a nonprofit organization that advocates for students who speak a language other than English at home.
It received no formal opposition, but no funding for it was included in the 2022 budget, and it failed to advance beyond the Appropriations Committee in the Assembly. A similar bill introduced by Thurmond when he was an Assembly member passed in 2018 but was never funded or implemented.
Proponents of the bill expressed disappointment and frustration that the bill did not move forward, saying the action is contrary to the state's stated goals of expanding bilingual education, including the Global California 2030 initiative, which sets a goal for the state to have half of all K-12 students participating in programs leading to proficiency in two or more languages by 2030.
