July 8, 2003

HEALEY STANDS UP FOR WILL OF VOTERS ON ENGLISH IMMERSION

Urges Legislature to sustain Romney’s veto and guarantee success of students

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey today urged the Legislature to uphold the will of the voters by sustaining Governor Mitt Romney’s veto of a provision that would allow non-English speaking students under the age of 10 to participate in “two-way” bilingual education programs.

“The voters have spoken loudly and clearly on the issue of bilingual education and they are right,” Healey said. “It is now time for the Legislature to demonstrate respect not only for the clear wishes of the people of Massachusetts, but also for the children that will be left behind without an English immersion program.

Healey noted that the people of Massachusetts last November overwhelmingly voted to end the failed experiment of bilingual education and replace it with English immersion. She said the Legislature created a loophole in the new law by permitting “two-way” bilingual programs for students who are not proficient in English.

Healey also pointed out that the new English immersion law does not completely ban “two-way” bilingual programs, but it does require that participants are proficient in English first or be at least 10 years of age or older.

Healey said the new law requires that all non-English learners, unless they receive a waiver, be enrolled in sheltered English immersion classrooms for at least one year. In these classes, virtually all instruction, books and materials will be in English. Once the students are deemed fluent in English, they will receive instruction in traditional classrooms with other students in their grade level.

This represents a dramatic change from the existing transitional bilingual education system in which limited English proficient students are placed in bilingual education classrooms for up to three years. In these classes, they are taught English, but learn every other subject in their native language as they gradually gain English proficiency.

Healey was joined by several backers of the new English immersion law, who joined her in urging the Legislature to sustain the Governor’s veto.

“We need to adhere to the laws that have been passed to assure that Latino children are not shortchanged in their education,” said Carol Sanchez, a supporter of the law.

For more information on Question 2, visit the Department of Education web site at www.doe.mass.edu/ell.

###