From:  Arizona Hispanic Community Forum 
Esther Duran Lumm, President, Arizona Hispanic Community Forum, Phoenix 
Alexandria Pisano, Treasurer, Arizona Hispanic Community Forum, Tempe 

 Please do not be lulled into believing the official analysis associated with this initiative. It contains misinformation and at worst, grossly misrepresents the real facts. 

This initiative was bought and paid for by an out-of-state millionaire who is proposing an alternative already proven to be a dismal failure in California. It is mean-spirited and discriminatory. 

So draconian are its provisions, that most Educational and a great number of community organizations have united to fight the initiative. 

The initiative clearly threatens Arizona's Native American languages. The initiative removes opportunity for Indian children to learn English and retain their native languages; many of which are in danger of dying out, at a great loss to all Arizonans. 

In Arizona, with parental approval, limited English-proficient students may attend any number of programs designed to assist a student's language deficiencies. This initiative removes from parents, teachers and local administration the ability to provide an educational program best suited for their children. Instead, your children will have to participate in a one-size-fits-all mandated program. 

The analysis on this initiative suggests that a parent can apply for a waiver if they want their child to participate in a bilingual program. This is a lie. The initiative repeals all statutory language acquisition options. Assuming the waiver language to be true; the parents would have to declare that their child has physical or psychological needs, and the statement would be made part of his/her permanent school record. 

Most important, bilingual education works. Most educational experts agree that bilingual education is the most effective program designed for students to learn English and gain academic excellence. The effectiveness of bilingual education is corroborated by data from our own Arizona Department of Education. 

Vote no on this proposition. 

 Esther Duran Lumm, President, Arizona Hispanic Community Forum, Phoenix 
 Alexandria Pisano, Treasurer, Arizona Hispanic Community Forum, Tempe