Foreign Language Academy

GLENDALE — School officials Tuesday considered the effects of a possible cut of $1 million to $8.8 million from the Glendale Unified School District budget, with classes already in session. At its meeting Tuesday, the board of education weighed in on the governor’s proposed cut of $2.5 billion to state education against the state legislative analyst’s $1-billion suggested cut, starkly different plans that could leave the district suddenly down anywhere between $40 and $300 per student more than three months into the school year, Chief Business and Financial Officer Eva Rae Lueck said.

Bilingual education offers advantages Regarding ?Divided programs are a concern to reader,? Mailbag, May 10 and ?Bilingual children have a distinct advantage,? Community Commentary, Feb. 27: A study by Pearl and Lambert in 1962 found that bilingual children did, in fact, have mental flexibility superior to monolingual children. And, in our increasingly global society and economy, bilingual children will grow into bilingual adults with great advantages in brainpower and communication skills, better prepared, in my opinion (and I am not alone in this, obviously)

Federal grants worth $2.4 million will expand successful dual-language programs at Glendale Unified School District to more campuses, officials said Wednesday. The Foreign Language Academy of Glendale, known as FLAG, was awarded two grants by the U.S. Department of Education, a rare funding boost that administrators said would allow Spanish-language programming at Toll Middle School and Korean at another middle school campus by 2013. FLAG began a few years ago and offers bilingual education in Spanish, Armenian, Korean, German and, most recently, Italian.

Crescenta Valley High School’s substance abuse problems are typical of substance abuse in schools across America. Fifty years ago, the biggest disciplinary problems in schools were chewing gum, throwing paper wads, getting out of line and talking in class. Now the biggest problems are substance abuse, weapons, violence, obesity, pregnancy, dropping out and suicide. How could a system managed by supposedly smart people become so dumb? Once pillars of pride in our communities, many schools are now more like prisons with high fences, metal detectors, police presence and now drug testing (“Another way to say no,” Dec. 23)

TODAY The La Crescenta Woman?s Club will celebrate it 98th anniversary beginning with a meeting at 10:30 a.m. followed by lunch at noon and program at 1 p.m. at the club, 4004 La Crescenta Avenue, La Crescenta. Eight members of the Federation of Woman?s Clubs will be recognized for 25 or more years of service. The former club presidents will be honored with a Pennies for Pines donation. The program will be Keirsten Abueg, 12, and Jarred Taecharatkiji, 11, will perform.