Although short on bilingual aides and funds to pay for them, Orange Unified School District officials said they are buoyed by recent events as they begin a controversial English immersion program.
The administration is so confident, given the voters' overwhelming support in a referendum on the issue this week, that they may approach the state soon for a long-running waiver from mandated bilingual education.
Assistant Supt. Neil McKinnon said criticism that the new program left foreign-speaking children behind was wrong.
"This is not sink or swim," he said of the program, which "immerses" the students in English-only classrooms rather than those that instruct them in native languages. "It is a structured--a highly structured--program."
The program includes bilingual aides, although the district needs to hire at least 10 more, preschool language classes and after-school help with English for both students and their parents.
McKinnon said the district also is seeking more federal aid.
