Latinos and California’s Proposition 227

Re “Language Is a Bridge to Culture,” Commentary, March 22:

In her article on bilingual education, Adela de la Torre argues that Latinos view Prop. 227 as an attempt to obliterate their heritage. She also insinuates that Props. 187 and 227 were racially motivated, and that opponents of bilingual education code their message in racial terms.

She states that Latinos view bilingual education as a language rights issue. Since when is demanding to be taught in a language other than the official language of a nation a God-given or inalienable right? Why then should we stop with Spanish?

De la Torre further argues that across generations Latinos have struggled to maintain their roots, and that those roots are deeply embedded in their language. That is an insult to every ethnic group that has emigrated to this country and continued their cultural heritage from generation to generation without favoritism. Cultural heritage is to be taught by the family and not through taxpayer-supported bilingual education.

STEPHEN M. LIEB

Santa Monica

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Educators see the debate over Prop. 227 as posing two separate questions: Is it wise to dismantle bilingual education programs wholesale? More important, will the program proposed by Ron Unz improve the quality of education these students receive? What is troubling is that the public seems to be considering only the issue of eliminating bilingual education without understanding that the Unz plan would be devastating to education for all children in our state, not just children who are learning English.

The plan proposed in Prop. 227 will be even worse than the “sink or swim” system in place before bilingual education because it provides only a thin veneer of English teaching and then dumps students into the mainstream, with the expectation that they can then catch up and keep up.

JILL KERPER MORA

San Diego

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The teachers in our local California Teachers Assn. unit share De la Torre’s ambivalence about Prop. 227. We conducted an advisory election in late January, and it had the narrow support of our membership, by a vote of 97-85.

Our district has a significant population of non-Spanish-speaking Limited English Proficient (LEP) students, mostly Filipino, whose “culture” is largely ignored by the public school system. At least with the Unz initiative all language minorities will receive equal treatment under the law.

MARK KOTCH, President

Delano Union Elementary

School Teachers Assn.

Delano