By Eliza PARTIKA

The Glendale Unified School District Board of Education approved the recommendations of the parent-formed Japanese Dual Language Immersion Committee at its March 12 meeting.

The Board’s approval will allow the sixth grade cohort at Verdugo Woodlands Elementary School to matriculate to Rosemont Middle School for the 2024-25 school year with a permit. Those already at Woodrow Wilson Middle School will be allowed to finish their program. In the 2025-26 school year, the pathways at Wilson and Rosemont will merge into one program at Rosemont. All incoming seventh grade immersion students will be enrolled at Rosemont Middle School and incoming ninth grade immersion students will attend Crescenta Valley High School. AP Japanese will remain an option at Glendale High School.

Current Verdugo Woodlands Elementary School students and their parents were present at the meeting. Some spoke during public comment to express their desire to move on to Rosemont and stay together as a cohort.

“I want to say thank you to the Glendale School board for listening to our class. We want to be part of a healthy-sized group of kids who are all in seventh grade, learning and studying Japanese,” one of the students told the Board in public comment.

Benjamin Hays, a 12^th grade student from Crescenta Valley High School, won the county Poetry Out Loud competition for his recitation of the poems “The Listeners” by Walter de la Mare and “Prayer for My Father” by Robert Bly. The Board sat enraptured by Hays as he performed “The Listeners.”

Other recognitions included Clark Magnet High School for its placement in the 2024 Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon and for winning the District’s 2024 High School Scholastic Bowl Essay Competition; Crescenta Valley High School as the winning team of the District’s 2024 High School Scholastic Bowl; students from Dunsmore, Franklin, Lincoln, Mountain Avenue and Valley View elementary schools, and Rosemont Middle and Crescenta Valley High schools for placing in honor band ensembles sponsored by the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association, and students from Rosemont Middle and Crescenta Valley High Schools who earned a place on the All State Honor Ensembles sponsored by the California Music Education Association.

GTA president Talin Arsenian and yard duty staff confronted the Board with their imminent wage and hours decrease, which would leave many of them financially challenged. As most of the yard duty staff are women, Talin implied that for true equality to be present in GUSD, the women who care for GUSD children each day should have their wage concerns respected.

“No teacher has ever said we have too many educational aides; the majority of GUSD educators are women. Many are international women and their contributions are equally significant in shaping the minds of our future leaders – GUSD students. In many corners of the globe, women have overcome adversity to become leaders, innovators and educators. Our classrooms are filled with stories of resilience, determination and excellence. However, as we celebrate these stories we must also address the practical challenges faced by our educators, particularly regarding fair compensation,” said Arsenian.

During public comment, yard duty employees shared their concerns about needing food stamps and welfare, and having past due notifications on their accounts because of dismal wages. A teacher stood up to comment on budget changes, asking the Board to re-evaluate its budget to pay teachers and staff.

“I feel that we should increase the salary and benefits of both our classified and certificated employees and we have the right to do that. Absolutely. We need to retain our teachers, our great teachers; we need to do more to be one of the most attractive districts again that people want to teach here. We also need to look at our budget differently,” they said.