Massachusetts voters will decide this November whether to eliminate state income tax and overhaul bilingual education by mandating intensive English classes for nonnative-speaking students.

Both initiatives – which have been cleared by the Secretary of State’s office to appear on the ballot Nov. 5 – are expected to spark emotional debates and advertising blitzes this fall.

The bilingual education question, financed by Silicon Valley millionare Ron Unz, would require school districts to place students in intensive, one-year language-immersion classes before allowing them to join English-speaking students in the classrooms. The initiative is similar to a program launched in California in 1998 that has received mixed reviews. Unz has said the California reforms have been successful in raising English test scores. But his opponents say that other reforms in California are responsible for the improvement and that immersion classes did not significantly change the number of students certified as proficient English speakers after a year.

Unz’s representatives said immigrant children in Massachusetts have been relegated to classrooms where subjects are not taught in English.

“The very foundation of success is the ability to communicate in the language of the culture that you live in,” said Lincoln Tamayo, chairman of Unz’s Massachusetts campaign.

To build support for less dramatic changes, the Massachusetts House recently passed a bill that would give wide discretion to school districts in educating non-English-speaking students. Districts would be required to submit education plans and report on students’ progress to the Department of Education.

But the bill, even if it passes the Senate and becomes law before the legislative session ends July 31, could be replaced by the Unz program if voters approve the measure in November.

The initiative to end state income tax is being spearheaded by the Libertarian Party and its gubernatorial candidate, Carla Howell, who said eliminating taxes would put $9 billion in the hands of tax-paying consumers and stimulate the economy.

Party activists have accused the Legislature of trying to stifle the movement by neglecting to schedule a public hearing on the issue.

Supporters of the initiative gathered more than 13,000 signatures to get the question on the ballot, well above the required 9,517. The bilingual education question had more than 15,000 signatures.



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