Joint Statement by MALDEF, TABE and LULAC Helps Defeat Plan to Abolish Bilingual Education

Compliments of LUAC:

For a copy of the article which explains the meeting in detail visit the Dallas Morning New of June 14 page 2B, article entitled Irving: New trustees defeated on English plan.

Angela

LULAC Addresses Irving Independent School District Board

Joint Statement by MALDEF, TABE and LULAC Helps Defeat Plan to Abolish Bilingual Education

Newly elected Deputy State Director for the Elderly Richard Sambrano on Monday night addressed the Irving Independent School District Board of Trustees before a standing room only crowd to oppose the two new trustees’ proposal to create an optional English immersion program for Spanish-speaking children.

During public comments, speakers argued against newcomers Steven Jones and Gail Wells’ proposal and defended Superintendent Dana Bedden, whose conduct during the election drew criticism from Jones and Wells not unlike the tactics employed by the Tea Party against President Obama.

Quoting from a letter from a coalition including LULAC, MALDEF and the Texas Association of Bilingual Educators sent to the president of the school board and superintendent, which was circulated to all board members and the media, Sambrano among other things said: According to a story printed in the Dallas Morning News on June 13,2011 (“Irving ISD board meeting Monday has packed agenda, new trustees propose several items”), trustees Steven Jones and Gail Wells are advocating for a structured English immersion program for Spanish-speaking limited English proficient students. It is our understanding that the pair has also placed an item on the agenda proposing to eliminate the District’s bilingual program for grades K-5. We strongly believe this “sink-or-swim” approach would not only be a disservice to Irving students, but also a violation of ELL students’ rights under state law.

The letter continues: The academic debate is over in terms of which language programs work and which do not. All credible research shows that the longer a student receives instruction in their native language, the better they achieve academically and Irving ISD’s efforts to move toward structured English immersion would not only adversely affect student performance in the long run but would also likely hamper the District’s accountability ratings. Structured Immersion programs result in superficial success where students are playground-proficient in English, but not academically proficient in English and prepared to take standardized tests. Immersion programs have failed miserably wherever they have been implemented the evidence is there from California to Arizona to Massachusetts. In fact, dual language is now the most popular and successful Bilingual program in Texas, as more than 1 in 3 schools (over 800) now implement them in every regional education center across the state.

The letter went on to say that it not only makes sense educationally to offer high quality Bilingual Education programs, but it is required under Texas law. In addition, the Commissioner’s regulations require that school districts provide to students ”information describing the bilingual education, its benefits to the student, and its being an integral part of the school program to ensure that the parents understand the purposes and content of the program.”

Finally, the letter, signed by David Hinojosa of MALDEF, Dr. Richard Gomez of TABE, and Jorge Rivera president of the LULAC council in Irving, urges the Irving ISD to abandon policies that have failed in district by district and will only lead to failing grades and higher dropout rates.. Instead they urged the district to continue implementing and supporting strong bilingual programs, like dual language.

This can be seen as a tremendous victory for Hispanics throughout the state as it places on call other districts that may try to abolish bilingual education. The vote was 5-2 against the two new trustees’ proposition and in favor of MADEF, TABE and LULAC.

Among a host of speakers were the founder of a former Irving LULAC council and plaintiff in a redistricting lawsuit in federal court Manuel Benavidez, former LULAC member, and Accion America president Carlos Quintania. Many thanks to Jorge Rivera who mobilized the Hispanic community as not seen in a long time in Irving.

Farmers Branch to discuss possibly forming its own school district

A clear us/them division going on.  The assumption that those who comprise the "our" in the statement "our long-term success and our quality of life" is itself not a political force needs to be recognized.  That's fine to have an opinion on what LULAC is doing but another to position their approach to serving the youth of R.L. Turner as "divisive and far left-leaning." 

I'll stop there.

-Patricia 


By DIANNE SOLÍS / The Dallas Morning News  
Saturday, December 4, 2010

The Farmers Branch City Council intends to explore options on whether the city can form its own school district in the wake of criticism surrounding a LULAC mentoring program.
Mayor Tim O'Hare told WFAA-TV (Channel 8) on Friday that the intent is to explore whether the city can "remove itself from both the Carrollton-Farmers Branch and Dallas Independent School Districts and to form our own school district."

An executive session item on Tuesday's council meeting agenda lists discussion of potential litigation against public school districts within the boundaries of the city of Farmers Branch.
No one was available at City Hall to comment late Friday afternoon. But in O'Hare's statement to Channel 8, the mayor said that the council would meet with a lawyer who specializes in school district matters.

"We may also receive legal advice regarding legal and legislative options available to the city to address the concerns of residents, past and present, about the effect the current public school districts serving Farmers Branch have on our long-term success and our quality of life," he said
O'Hare has criticized the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district for allowing a chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens to mentor students at Carrollton's R.L. Turner High School, which is also attended by students in Farmers Branch.

LULAC activists were a fixture in protests in this suburb over a renters ordinance that sought to bar illegal immigrants from rental housing. The ordinance was ruled unconstitutional by a Dallas federal judge, but the city is appealing the ruling.

The mentoring program was started last September by LULAC Council 4782 to combat the dropout rate in public schools and to encourage students to advance their higher education. O'Hare and council member Michelle Holmes have questioned the involvement of LULAC, saying no political organization should be invited in the public school system to mentor schoolchildren. 

O'Hare called LULAC "divisive and far left-leaning in their political view."
Victoria Neave, an attorney who runs the LULAC mentoring program, said the chapter would continue its work at R.L. Turner. It received a two-year, $20,000 grant for dropout prevention work from Ford Motor Co.

"We will continue to do what we are doing. Our program is successful. What is discussed in the media is going to continue to push our students to do better, and we'll proceed with our grant for the next two years," Neave said.

The Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board discussed the mentoring program and its value Thursday night but took no action. LULAC Council 4782 is a 5-year-old chapter headed by Gloria Levario, a health care consultant. 

The city has spent nearly $4 million defending itself from litigation in the last four years.