Yuba City Unified School District trustees recently agreed to offer Punjabi as part of its foreign language courses next fall and got a promise from Sikh backers of the idea to support the district’s bond initiative for new school facilities.

Administration officials said they ‘were not surprised by the promise from Gumam S Pamma but said no deal had been made to allow the classes in exchange for political Support for the controversial property tax.

I think in the past we did not go Out and/talk to the leaders and ask them for support like we should have said Marlene Barber assistant superintendent of instruction.

Derek Link assistant director of Special programs said the idea of Punjabi as a course ha~ been discussed for several years but the teal work began just recently

The district has twice failed to get the residents to support a parcel tax to pay for new school facilities but the trustees say they have no other option but to try again. The district will be asking for a $45 million tax increase

Superintendent Lee Britten ham said that the district will hold a special election before November in an effort to avoid any clash with the half-to three-quarter-cent sales tax increase initiative being promoted to finance a third Feather River Bridge

Pamma along time Sutter County farmer and supporter of education told the board that the course will more closely tic the Sikh community to the rest of the population.

A beginner’s course and a more advanced course will be offered at the high school next fall. If there is enough support officials said more classes and possibly an even more advanced course will be added.

The curriculum will serve two basic purposes officials said. The first is to give all students another foreign language to study. The other is to give Punjabi speaking students more formalized instruction on reading and writing their native language.

Link said the district also is working with the University of California in the hopes students passing the courses can get college credits just as they do for Spanish and German now. The district also is working with the state Legislature in an effort to get specialized Punjabi teaching credentials.

Article extracted from this publication >> January 28, 1994