By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez for LAist
Originally published June 4, 2025
There’s a growing demand for dual immersion classrooms and English learning programs for immigrants in California. At the same time there’s a shortage of Spanish-speaking teachers. A new state bill from San Diego Assemblymember David Alvarez would expand an existing teacher exchange program with Mexico.
Why it matters: There’s not enough Spanish-speaking teachers in California to match demand. The bill would solve the problem by expanding an existing temporary exchange program with Mexican teachers, but there’s a hitch: the State Department would need to approve J1 visas for the instructors.
Why now: California education officials want three out of four public school students to be multilingual by 2040.
The backstory: California has an up and down history of multilingualism. State voters overturned the state’s bilingual education program in 1998. A version of it was reinstated in 2016.
What’s next: The bill, AB 833, passed the California Assembly on Monday and now heads to the Senate education committee.
Go deeper: English-Only in California goes back to the 19th century.
This report is reprinted with permission from Southern California Public Radio. © 2024 Southern California Public Radio. All rights reserved.
