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Arizona Language Education Council
The Arizona
Language Education Council (ALEC) is an association dedicated to
educating the public about the historical and present context of the
education of language minority children in Arizona. We are parents,
teachers, business people, tribal leaders, community volunteers, and
researchers. We are united by our concern for the academic success for
children learning English and other languages in our state.
Official Ballot
Argument Against Proposition 203
From: Arizona
Language Education Council (ALEC)
John Petrovic,
Central Arizona Co-Chair, ALEC
Mary Carol Combs,
Correspondence Secretary, ALEC
Maria Elena
Sotomayor, Data Manager, ALEC
Fundamentally
this election is about two principles that an English-only law would
jeopardize:
- parents'
right to choose the education they want for their children, and
- local
school boards' right to decide what kinds of instruction are
appropriate.
Arizonans have
long cherished and defended these rights. But the initiative, bankrolled
entirely by out-of-state interests, threatens to destroy our traditions
of parental choice and local control of education. It would:
- impose a
statewide, one-size-fits-all curriculum for all children whose
English is limited;
- mandate
an arbitrary, one-year English program for students who now receive,
on average, 3-4 years of special help in learning English;
- threaten
stiff financial penalties for any teacher, administrator, or school
board member with lawsuits; and
- force
Hispanic and Native American parents to declare their kids mentally
retarded to qualify for "waivers" of the English-only rule.
Initiative
sponsors claim (without much evidence) to speak for immigrants who are
disaffected with bilingual education and who favor other ways of
teaching English. But consider these facts:
Only 30
percent of Arizona's limited-English students are now enrolled in
bilingual classrooms; 70 percent already receive all their instruction
in English.
Under current
law, Arizona parents may remove their children from bilingual education
at any time. They don't need an initiative.
Where offered,
bilingual programs are extremely popular. Last year, in the Tucson and
Sunnyside school districts, 99 percent of the parents of eligible
students chose the bilingual option.
Bilingual
programs have produced superior results in English reading at every
grade level over the past 3 years, according to the Arizona Department
of Education.
Arizonans
recognize that expanding choices is good for our schools. So why deny
this right to Hispanic and Native American parents? Let's trust them to
do what's best for their kids.
John Petrovic,
Central Arizona Co-Chair, ALEC, Oro Valley
Mary Carol Combs,
Correspondence Secretary, ALEC, Oro Valley
Maria Elena
Sotomayor, Data Manager, ALEC, Oro Valley
The above was
taken from the official State of Arizona web page:
http://www.sosaz.com/election/2000/info/pubpamphlet/english/prop203.htm#pgfId-1
The Official
AZ State Dept Proposition 203 is at:
http://www.sosaz.com/election/2000/info/pubpamphlet/prop1-I-2000.htm
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