Teachers lack language credentials

GLENDALE — If 130 Glendale Unified teachers don’t make significant progress in obtaining a state bilingual credential, they could be at a higher risk of being laid off in coming years, district officials announced Tuesday.

Getting all of the district’s 1,160 teachers certified in Crosscultural Language and Academic Development, or CLAD, has been a challenge for years. State auditors have cited the weak point for at least 10 years, jeopardizing Glendale Unified’s standing with the state and federal governments, administrators said.

“If we are out of compliance, somewhere down the line, someone can litigate against us,” Supt. Michael Escalante said at a school board meeting Tuesday. “It is an issue, and we’re not playing the game [according to] those who have made the rules.”

Teachers would not be fired for lacking proper credentials, but could be disadvantaged in the rubric devised by district officials for a potential lay-off process should budget conditions worsen, administrators said.

“One of the key factors is whether the person is fully qualified,” Escalante said. “That plays into the process.”

No Child Left Behind, an education accountability measure signed by George W. Bush in 2002, stipulates districts must have “highly qualified teachers to meet the law’s requirements.

But state law requires that teacher’s must be certified and able to instruct English language learners, or those who speak it as a second language. A relatively small number of teachers lack the bilingual development credential. Teachers hired after the 2002-03 school year earned the proper credentials through accredited universities, administrators said.

“We are concerned our teachers who do not have their CLAD . . . may not service well in the eyes of the federal government,” school board President Mary Boger said.

But Glendale Teachers Assn. President Tami Carlson said that teachers are deemed qualified under federal law without their credential.

“I don’t know why the board has this fear,” she said. “If the federal government is saying [teachers are] highly qualified without their CLAD . . . I’d question the validity of a lawsuit against a teacher who’s highly qualified under [No Child Left Behind].”

The school board took no formal action, but consensus emerged that members would signal June 2011 as a deadline for teachers to demonstrate they are taking steps toward certification. Escalante is expected to return with proposed ramifications for teachers who do not meet the June 2011 deadline.

A clearer definition of how teachers would demonstrate their intent to take the CLAD exam is also expected to be part of the proposal.

“We had the same discussion in 2001, maybe we should’ve come down with a stronger stance,” school board Vice President Greg Krikorian said. “We have to have a timeline that’s reasonable. It comes to a point now where we have to have a policy.”

Credentialing examinations are offered twice a year, with one date scheduled Dec. 5. The district is offering preparatory classes free of charge and will reimburse testing costs, Assistant Supt. John Garcia said.