Blacks, Latinos KO School Voucher Idea, Polls Say
Martin Mbugua
The majority of blacks and Latinos in the city oppose taxpayer-funded vouchers for private education, two wide-ranging polls on the city's top two minority groups have found. Two polls released yesterday by the New York Urban League and the Hispanic Federation found that 53% of African-Americans and 59% of Hispanics say no to vouchers. "The fact is that both Hispanics and blacks are not willing to shortchange public education," said Luis Miranda, a consultant and former president of the Hispanic Federation, who analyzed the findings of both polls. According to poll results, 60% of Latinos favor using vouchers as a means of improving public education in the city, but 59% oppose the idea if it means less money for public schools. The Hispanic Federation poll also found that 47% of Latinos favor bilingual education exclusively. Another 27% say children should get bilingual education early, and it should be phased out as the students become more proficient in English. "Parents are very clear on bilingual education," said Hispanic Federation President Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez. Dennis Walcott, president of the New York Urban League, said the findings of the polls are critical indicators for planners and policy makers. "When you look at the people we polled, you are looking at the new immigrants and people who have been here for years," Walcott said. "It . . . is a scientific poll." On another key issue, the polls found that an overwhelming majority of both groups - 80% of Hispanics and 89% of blacks - consider police brutality a major problem in the city. "Historically, [as] the Latino community, we have not had the pleasure of a good relationship with the Police Department," Cortes-Vazquez said. The Hispanic Federation poll was a random sampling of 1,000 Hispanics throughout the city by the Survey Research Unit at Baruch College's School of Public Affairs. The New York Urban League survey was conducted among 801 black adults by Blum & Weprin Associates.Graphic: SPEAKING OUT |