A border lawmaker said he intends to file a bill tomorrow requiring every Texas high school student to complete two years of Spanish to graduate.

State Rep. Rene Oliveira, a Brownsville Democrat, wants Spanish to be a part of the core curriculum in public schools, along with English, math, science, history, government and geography. The bill would make Spanish mandatory starting with the 2000-2001 school year.

Oliveira, the chairman of the House Economic Development Committee, said Texas needs more bilingual workers.

“Foreign language is routinely part of course work in Europe, Asia and Latin America from the time students enter school,” he said in a written statement. “Texas students should not receive less than the best preparation to successfully deal with a changing global economy.”

Under Oliveira’s bill, students could study other languages as elective courses. Schools that did not comply with the law would lose their state accreditation.

Anne Roussos, a spokeswoman for the state Board for Educator Certification, said Texas doesn’t have enough foreign language teachers as it is.

In addition to science, math, and special education, the state has a critical shortage of foreign language, English as a Second Language and bilingual teachers, according to the agency.

Tony Gray, Oliveira’s legislative assistant, said the intent is to spur debate on the subject. Finding enough teachers can be worked on in committee .

You may contact Dave Harmon at [email protected] or 445-3645.



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