http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11829914

School board satisfied with segregation solution
Glendale Middle » Activist not satisfied with classroom set aside for newcomers.
By Kirsten Stewart
The Salt Lake Tribune
Posted: 03/03/2009 08:45:01 PM MST

Salt Lake City School Board members heaped praise on Glendale Middle School principal Betty Valenzuela on Tuesday for her efforts to remedy a federal civil rights complaint alleging the school segregates some of its students.

Like many schools, Glendale operates a "newcomers" program to help ease non-English-speaking immigrant and refugee students into mainstream classes. Students of the school within a school are separated from the regular student body most of the day, enjoying specialized language classes and smaller class sizes.

But community activist Michael Clara said Glendale's decision to house the program outside the school building in portable classrooms isolated the "newcomer" students, constituting a form of "institutionalized racism."
Glendale has since moved its 34 newcomers inside, but Clara isn't satisfied with the size of the classrooms. One is a retrofitted teachers station.

Clara took his complaints to the school board, stressing that he supports the newcomers model, but asking for better accommodations.
The board took no action, but several members told Valenzuela they were satisfied with the school's response.

"I saw the rooms and I was very impressed," said board member Mark Maxfield.

Salt Lake Superintendent McKell Withers called Glendale "one of the greatest success stories in our state."

Years ago, the school was cited for failing to provide adequate English as a second language (ESL) instruction to its students under a complaint also filed by Clara.

Since then, Glendale has launched targeted interventions, including the newcomers program and certifying 90 percent of its teacher in ESL. Of the 821 students at Glendale, 70 percent qualify for ESL. Utahans tax dollars at work buying ESL programs for anchor babies.