As a parent of a child in a bilingual education program, I take a very close interest in the progress of kids in local schools. And we all know that despite the pressures of being parents and teachers, our priorities are the children we know and love.
We understand the value of getting the best possible start in life. The education our children get today is going to help them fulfill their dreams in the future — a future far too important to take risks with.
That’s why I was deeply shocked to learn that Question 2 on the Massachu-setts ballot in November would undo valuable education reform that will improve the way children learn English. Even more appalling, passage of Question 2 would leave teachers open to being personally sued, simply for teaching children in a certain way.
Question 2 is sponsored and funded by California millionaire Ron Unz, who failed in a 1994 bid to become the Republican candidate for governor of California. He wants to mandate how Massachusetts teaches immigrant children English by forcing them into a “sink-or-swim” program called “sheltered immersion.” This system was passed in California in 1998, where it has been a complete failure.
According to the California Department of Education, fewer than 10 percent of the children in the system have actually learned English in each of the four years since Question 2 was passed there. Rather than preserve the American dream for immigrant children, immersion has left more than one million children behind, and in failing them, we have failed to live up to the ideals of the American dream.
But look beyond the damage that the failed program would do to our children. Hidden in the small print of Question 2 is a provision that would allow teachers to be personally sued for teaching a child in their native language. Think of it — teachers sued for helping kids learn.
The law itself says, “The parent or legal guardian of any school child shall have legal standing to sue for enforcement of the provisions of this chapter, and if successful shall be awarded reasonable attorney’s fees, costs, and compensatory damages.”
Ron Unz is quoted in the media as saying, “[Teachers] would have to pay out of their own pocket. And I think there’s a perfectly reasonable possibility some of them might be driven into personal bankruptcy.”
Question 2 will also cost Massachusetts taxpayers millions of dollars due to the extra cost of training teachers under the new mandated system, hiring the extra teachers that will be needed because students are in separate classes longer and creating a new bureaucracy to administer the new system. In fact, a recent report estimates the cost to be more than $125 million. We can’t afford that in these tough budget times.
As parents, we understand that politicians all too often want to play politics with our kids’ education. But the vast array of cross-party opposition to Question 2 shows that it simply won’t work. Acting Governor Jane Swift, Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Shannon O’Brien, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and all 10 United States Congressmen from Massachusetts are among those who are urging people to vote No. Even Senator Edward Kennedy, Senator John Kerry and President George W. Bush all agree that Question 2 is not the best approach. In doing so, they are in tune with the vast majority of people in this state who want to teach kids English but don’t want to threaten teachers or education in the process.
Many of us opposed to the Unz mandate believe that we do need reform of bilingual education to improve the way kids learn English and to increase accountability in our education system.
That’s why I supported the bipartisan reform that passed through the Massachusetts legislature only a few months ago. The message is clear: we can improve the way children learn English without leaving teachers open to personal lawsuits and without imposing a failed system from California.
I’m asking the students and greater community of Boston University to think twice in November when asked to support an initiative that would fail our kids, threaten our teachers and force our state into a massive educational overhaul that simply won’t work.
Vote No on Question 2 for the kids and the teachers of our state.
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