Ballot day nears for Proposition 227

By Manuel Gamiz.Jr, Special to the On-line Forty-Niner

May 13,1998

 

Every election year there is a ballot measure that sparks controversy. Two years ago, it was Proposition 209, and two years before that, it was Proposition 187.

 

Both of these propositions dealt with immigrants and their right to receive equal access to social programs such as health care, welfare, employment, and education. Both passed, and opponents argued that voters based their decisions on biases against immigration.

 

June 2 the controversial measure on the ballot is Proposition 227, also known as the English-only Initiative.

 

Dr. Luis Arroyo, chairman of the Chicano and Latino studies department at Cal State Long Beach, said eliminating bilingual education will adversely affect the acquisition of English by non-English speakers.

 

Bilingual education is an effective method of teaching children the English language, according to Arroyo.

 

"It develops literacy and knowledge in Spanish in order to develop literacy of English," Arroyo said.

 

Maria Quesada, associate professor of dducational psychology at CSULB, said she believes students' learning environment would be disrupted if the initiative were to pass.

 

She said teachers will be lacking the subject matter to teach all children with limited English literacy.

 

Although this is a controversial issue, Arroyo said most faculty and staff at CSULB do not know much about the initiative.

 

Come June 2, California residents will hear many arguments in favor of Proposition 227, and many arguments in favor of bilingual education.