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Follow the Money
Is it any wonder that the state can twist arms to win policy compliance? Further, is it any wonder why it needs to? Your readers need to understand that the debate over bilingual education has nothing to do with education and even less to do with the ability of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students to learn English. Plain and simple, the debate is over money and power. More money is spent, per student, on LEP students than on English-speaking students at every grade level. The state Department of Education has hundreds of employees who no longer would be necessary if the bilingual program were eliminated. Can you imagine what our schools could do with that money? I recently earned a masters degree in education and an English as a Second Language (ESL) certificate from a prominent California university. Much of my educational experience was devoted to the bilingual program due to state licensing and employment requirements. I would rather have spent the time learning how to teach math and science more effectively. It is unusual to find a majority on any topic in education, especially among those directly affected, in this case, Latinos. Parents, teachers, administrators and employers should rally behind Ron Unz by calling upon their state representatives to expose this debate for what it really is, a special-interest group of growing proportions lobbying for a failed education program. We should fight for clear language on a June ballot initiative that will be immediately enforceable without appeal or waiver. MARK LUCITT
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