Bilingual Immersion Program Avoids Budget Cuts

An active group of parents won a two-week effort on Tuesday protesting a 2010-2011 school year budget cut proposal that would affect a bilingual immersion program for Portuguese-English speakers at the King Open School in Cambridge.

The estimated $58,000 to $60,000 budget cut would have eliminated instruction of all academic subjects in grades K-8 in both Portuguese and English—a key aspect of the OLA program, which aims to provide a full academic curriculum for all students to become bilingual and develop creativity and critical thinking, according to the school Web site.

At Tuesday’s Committee meeting, Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent Jeffrey M. Young and School Committee members decided to keep cuts to OLA off the table.

Young said that School Committee members have consistently urged him to look closely at the program, but the proposal to scrap the Two-Way aspect of the OLA program has drawn many concerns among parents, teachers, and students.

Elizabeth Hammond, a parent who spearheaded the movement to keep the OLA program unchanged, said that the proposed changes would have “[undone] how the program worked.” She also said that the teachers at the King Open School were “devastated” about the possible adjustments to the program.

Monique Pinto, a sixth grader who has spent eight years in the OLA program, also voiced concern over the potential changes.

“This program inspires me because I get to learn about my culture and American culture,” she said. “When I found out [about the budget cut proposal], I got upset.”

Following the announcement of proposed changes, Hammond and more than 25 other parents met on Feb. 24 and 25 to discuss their course of action. They planned appearances at the Cambridge School Committee meetings, drafted a written and online petition, and set up a Web site to garner further support for preserving the program in its current state.

The parents made their first showing at the Tuesday meeting in the Sullivan Chamber in City Hall. Crowds of parents filled the room, donning OLA nametags and matching red carnations—the symbol of the Carnation Revolution in 1974, a coup that brought democracy to Portugal.

Young said he met with parents and community members for a “fruitful discussion” on Monday, the day before the Committee meeting, and Hammond said that the superintendent deserved “a lot of credit” for the Committee’s decision.

“I appreciate the process,” Hammond said. “[The budget cut proposal] felt like an injustice but because there was a format, it worked out.”

According to Hammond, parents had planned to reconvene and make a second appearance next Tuesday if the School Committee kept the budget proposal cut on the table.

“It was beautiful that we didn’t have to wait till next Tuesday. I’m very, very happy,” said Odete Silva, another parent who advocated for the program.

—Staff writer Linda Zhang can be reached at zhang53@fas.harvard.edu.