By Eliza PARTIKA

Over 220 parents and community members packed Monte Vista Elementary’s auditorium to capacity on Monday, May 5 to protest Glendale Unified School District’s plan to restructure its Korean Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program – a model that parents and teachers say has long been one of the district’s most successful.

Despite widespread concern expressed by parents and teachers who attended, parent representatives told the CV Weekly that GUSD officials offered vague responses instead of clarifying the plan to merge fourth and fifth grade DLI classes starting fall 2025, originally announced on April 29. Among the GUSD attendees were Dr. Nancy Hong, director of Dual Language Programs, Principal Hury Babayan, several board members and senior staff.

Dr. Hong began the presentation with several slides of promotional material for the DLI program, prompting a parent to interrupt: “This isn’t why we’re here. We already know this.” 

Instead, parents pressed for answers about how students will be selected for split-grade DLI classes, what data supports a split-grade model for a 50/50 Korean-English immersion program and how teachers can realistically deliver dual-language instruction across two grades. Parents also wondered why Monte Vista was selected for the change, while other programs in the district “remained intact.” 

Responding to concerns about maintaining 50/50 Korean-English instruction in a split-grade model, Principal Babayan replied, “There is a significant amount of time … doing independent work. Upper grades are able to manage independent work,” without citing any supporting data. Babayan and others let parents know there would be more information at the end of this school year. 

Parents continued to vocally express their concerns with the proposed split-grade structure for the Korean DLI program at the May 6 meeting of the GUSD board of education, which they maintain threatens the integrity and long-term success of the program. 

In attendance at the meeting were GUSD Board of Education members President Shant Sahakian, Vice President Ingrid Gunnell, Clerk Kathleen Cross, Telly Tse and Neda Farid, as well as Superintendent Darneika Watson, Ph.D.

Speaking during the public comment portion of the GUSD meeting, parents emphasized the unique challenges of teaching and learning Korean – classified as a Category V language (very difficult) by the Foreign Service Institute – and the detrimental effects a split-grade configuration would have on students’ academic growth, linguistic development and emotional well-being. They advocated for their demands on the District to pause the implementation while they explore alternatives, including additional staffing, enrollment strategies and targeted funding solutions.

GUSD Board Member Telly Tse spoke in support; his children are in the DLI Korean program and would also be affected by the split. Tse advocated for collaboration and compromise to achieve a result that works for educators, teachers and district administrators. Tse spoke from the public podium to avoid a conflict of interest. 

“The dual language immersion program is one of the things that makes this District special. This is why we must support this program and not just view it through a financial lens. While split-grade classes exist throughout the District, they are not ideal for student learning or teacher workload. Languages like Korean are classified among the most difficult for English speakers to learn. We cannot assume a split-grade Korean DLI class will work just because it might for other languages. This is the moment where we must stop what we’ve been doing and go in a different direction,” he said. 

Geny Kim, the parent of a fourth grade DLI student, PTA member and substitute teacher at GUSD, said the split is alarming, after years of investment by teachers, parents and students created a successful model that integrates and celebrates Korean culture. Kim and her family moved from Koreatown to La Crescenta where they found a tight-knit community of Korean-American families who all had their children enrolled in the program for cultural enrichment.

“A lot of parents move to La Crescenta intentionally, to make sure their kids attend the DLI Korean program,” she said. “My son has met all his friends here. There is a vital cultural component.”

Kim also emphasized the difficulty of the language to learn, compared to other similar programs in the District. 

“The District keeps saying ‘Other DLI programs do this’ but what I don’t think people realize is that Korean is classified as a Level 5 language, which is the highest difficulty. It requires 2,200 classroom hours to gain mastery. Armenian is Level 3, and Spanish is Level 1. It’s more difficult to learn than other languages,” Kim said. 

Matthew Kim, whose wife teaches in the program and is the parent of a second grade DLI student, criticized the proposal as “administrative laziness” and warned that the proposed split-grade model would lead to an unacceptable “50% reduction in instructional time.” 

Despite other non-Category V DLI programs doing a split, he added that “copying a bad idea doesn’t make it a good one. Help us maintain this program instead of letting it become another statistic in the bureaucratic machine.”

Mark Lovers, a second and fourth grade DLI parent, shared how the program had shaped his children’s identities and learning experiences. He warned that the structure of a split-grade class would force teachers to rush through instruction, diminishing quality. 

“Instruction would be short-circuited as teachers quickly move on to the next thing in order to keep the class going,” he said. “Monte Vista families deserve a long-term plan that will help prevent future combo classes.”

Daniel Hwang, a DLI parent whose oldest child is in the fourth grade and whose youngest is in first grade, criticized the split program, which combines Korean and English cohorts under one teacher, arguing it undermines the DLI’s purpose.

“As a non-educator, you look at this and you think, it doesn’t make sense. They need to find a way to hire another teacher to have this run smoothly,” Hwang said. 

Ben Shiffrin, parent of a kindergartner and second grader in the DLI program, said he attended the school board meeting because he was disappointed in the results of Monday’s discussion, but pleased to hear Telly Tse’s response to their public comments. 

“The District has promised a certain level of service. They should lean into [providing programs] where people who speak Spanish, people who speak Armenian, people who speak Korean, feel welcome,” Shiffrin said.

Shiffrin emphasized his choice to enroll his children in the Korean program at GUSD was deliberate because of what is offered. 

“This is not just a random choice,” he said. “My wife is Korean, and we moved here specifically to attend this DLI program for their 50/50 instruction model, something LAUSD does not do. When you hear there is going to be one teacher teaching in two different languages to two different grades it doesn’t make sense. Lower performing students will be left behind.”

According to the District website, the goal of GUSD’s dual immersion programs is to develop high levels of language proficiency and literacy in both English and the target language. The Monte Vista community is calling for action –not only to protect the current program but to also set a precedent for how GUSD supports dual language immersion education.

The GUSD Board of Education will be holding a special meeting on June 4 to discuss the DLI program in depth ahead of its next regular meeting on June 10.