Senate OKs More Flexible Bilingual Education Bill

A bill extending the state’s bilingual education law until 1992 was approved by the Senate on Friday with significant changes that supporters say will allow local school districts more flexibility in the way they teach non-English-speaking students.

The measure was passed 25 to 5 and now goes back to the Assembly for concurrence.

The bill then will go to Gov. George Deukmejian, who has not publicly stated a position on the measure. However, the governor has said he would not sign it unless many changes were made. Backers of the bill say they are hopeful he will support the present version.

Use of Other Languages

The bilingual law, originally passed in 1976, basically requires school districts to offer non-English-speaking students instruction in a language they can understand. It prescribes in extensive detail requirements for such aspects of bilingual education as the ethnic composition of bilingual classrooms and the credentialing of teachers.

Without the extension, the law will expire next year. It has generated considerable debate, with critics--in particular the Assembly Republican Caucus--charging that the law was too demanding on local school districts limited in their ability to provide for students not proficient in English.

Other critics have simply contended that bilingual education is ineffective and has failed to help students who speak limited English become fluent and succeed academically.

The extension bill, authored by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), relaxed several key requirements, thus, according to its backers, making it more acceptable to Republican legislators.

Greater Freedom

One of the changes will allow local districts greater freedom to create experimental programs that make the best use of their resources. A frequently cited example of such a program has been operating at Eastman Elementary School, a predominantly Latino school in East Los Angeles.

That program offers a departure from the standard bilingual program, which generally integrates English speakers and non-English speakers as much as possible. The Eastman program separates Spanish speakers from English speakers for much of the school day and, according to district officials, has been successful in raising the students’ levels of achievement.

Another adjustment to the existing law loosens a class composition requirement that English speakers compose at least one-third of a bilingual classroom in order to avoid segregation. Schools in many districts are unable to meet that requirement because they have too few English-speaking students.

Waiver System Extended

The bill also extends until 1988 the waiver system, which allows many teachers who lack full bilingual credentials to teach in bilingual programs. However, it does not resolve the sensitive issue of whether to grant permanent status to bilingual teachers who were issued waivers and have been unable to obtain a credential in the four years allowed under the law. Many supporters of bilingual education say the waiver system is a major reason why bilingual programs have not been as effective as they could be.

The extension bill has gained the support of the state Board of Education and a wide range of statewide organizations that often are at odds with each other, including the Assn. of California School Administrators, the California School Boards Assn., the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the California Assn. for Bilingual Education.

The bill’s backers are cautiously optimistic about the governor’s response. According to Sen. Art Torres (D-South Pasadena), the Senate sponsor of the measure, the governor “would not guarantee” to the Senate Republican Caucus that he would veto it.

An additional reason for the governor to back the bill would be to shore up his support in the Latino community, the most heavily affected by the bilingual law.

“If the Republican Party is to reach out to Hispanic voters, the governor should not veto a bill that is so important to Hispanic communities,” Torres said.