Plan to Curtail Bilingual Classes Assailed

The powerful California Teachers Assn. joined with a coalition of education groups Tuesday to denounce a June ballot proposal that seeks to dismantle bilingual education in the state.

State education groups called the planned initiative an extremist measure that will end up hurting California’s 1.4 million students who speak little or no English.

The initiative, being boosted by Silicon Valley multimillionaire Ron Unz and Orange County schoolteacher Gloria Matta Tuchman, would give students special help with English for one year before pushing them into mainstream classes. Currently, students in bilingual education are taught in their primary language for several years while brushing up on their English skills.

David Sanchez, a CTA board member, called the so-called Unz initiative a “one-size-fits-all solution to a complex curriculum issue.” While the CTA and other groups believe the current bilingual system needs to be fixed, Sanchez said, “the Unz initiative is not reasonable reform.”

*

Sanchez was joined by representative of the California Federation of Teachers and the Assn. of California School Administrators. The coalition, called Citizens for an Educated America: No on Unz, also includes groups representing the state’s bilingual education community.

The groups criticized the proposed initiative because it doesn’t offer any special training for teachers who lack experience instructing limited-English students. They also said research doesn’t support the idea that a year of intensive language instruction gives students the skills to survive in a mainstream classroom.

“This is not even sink or swim,” said Laurie Olsen, co-chairwoman of the anti-Unz campaign. “It is drown or doggy paddle. At best, perhaps the brightest kids may get by. But the Ron Unz plan will not teach students the English they need to learn math, social studies, geography or science.”

Tom Tyner of the California Federation of Teachers said the initiative would put parents in the role of being “a spy on teachers.” He said teachers could be hit with lawsuits if they used a child’s native language “more than once” in the classroom.

The initiative requires that teachers instruct students only in English after the first year of help in their native language. Teachers can be sued if they continue to tutor students in their native language against a parent’s wishes. Parents can apply for a waiver if they want their child to be taught in their native language after that first year.

Instead of an initiative, most of the education officials said they believe problems in the state’s bilingual education program need to be addressed during careful deliberations by the state Legislature.

*

Unz, however, said state lawmakers have already proven they can’t settle the long-running dispute over bilingual education. The Legislature has repeatedly dashed bills meant to reform the system over the past decade, including a proposal this year.

He dismissed most of the criticism of the initiative as scare tactics. Lawsuits against teachers would be rare, Unz predicted, because most teachers would toe the line and parents would turn to the courts only in extreme cases.

Unz also suggested it was “peculiar” that his foes seemed determined to focus on attacking his measure instead of engaging in a meaningful debate on bilingual education itself.

Finally, Unz questioned how big a role the CTA would play financially in the campaign. Many rank-and-file teachers, Unz said, are opposed to bilingual education. He also predicted that the bulk of the group’s political money will be focused on defeating an anti-union initiative headed for June’s ballot.